May You Always Run Free Beneath The Moon's Pale Light
by gleeme33
Summary: Red's life would have been entirely different if she had grown up with the wolf pack. Raised by Anita, Red had always believed that where humans go, death follows. But soon she meets an old woman named Widow Lucas, who tells her a different story: a part of her life that her mother had always hidden from her; that is, who she could have been.
1. Chapter 1

_May You Always Run Free Beneath The Moon's Pale Light_

Red was perched on a sturdy, high branch of the forest's tallest sycamore tree, looking out into the night. She was alone, which was rare for Red – being the eldest daughter of her pack's alpha, therefore, a princess and heir to the leadership, Red almost always had someone with her under her mother's orders. There was a part of her that scoffed at this notion – her mother of all people, Red thought, should understand how she only wanted to run free beneath the moon's pale light…

"Hey! Red! Little Red!" Down below, wading through the sea of snow on the forest floor, was Quinn calling for her. "Come out, come out, where ever you are!" Red didn't answer, and instead prepared to lunge at her best friend from above, crouching down on her tree branch. "C'mon, Red, it's _me_!" Quinn continued, yowling into the night. "The moon's almost at it's highest. We'll run into the night and howl until our lungs burst!" Still there was no response, as the child of the moon was waiting for her fellow pack member to turn his back to the tree, so she could jump him; by now, Quinn and Red had been such close friends for so many years, that he knew all her hiding spots just as well as she did. He placed a hand on the trunk of the tree, grinning upward in her direction. "I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll – "

But Quinn didn't have the chance to finish. In a split second, he was face-down in the snow, with Red on top of him, having tackled him to the ground.

"Tag," Red said as nonchalantly as she could while stifling a laugh. "You're it!"

"You're gonna get it, princess," Quinn pulled himself off the ground when she finally let him up. "You just wait 'til I turn – you just wait 'til the moon…" but neither of them had to wait any longer, as the full moon finally shone in the sky. There was a beat of silent understanding, then: "I'll give you a five second head start."

And, in a flash, Red was a gray wolf, howling and running through the snow-covered forest, relishing in her new found sense of freedom. She couldn't quite explain it, but there was something about _running _like this – free, under the open sky, bathed in moonlight – that made Red feel so completely _whole_ in every way. Quinn, true to his word, waited exactly five seconds before chasing after the girl. As a wolf, he was much larger and stronger than she was, but the princess was, on the other hand, both faster and more lithe. Because of their opposing, but equally powerful strengths, the two could chase each other under the stars for hours on end, and very often did just that.

_Red! Quinn! What do you two think you're doing?_

The two friends had been out nearly all night long when they heard the familiar bark of Raoul, Anita's second-in-command. Red skidded to a halt at the beta wolf's snarls; she tasted the thick, nearly-dawn air and quickly realized that they were far out of their pack's territory. She stuttered a yip as an answer, simply because she couldn't think of one.

_We, uh…didn't realize we were this far out. Right, Quinn?_

_Right_, Quinn added. _Do you remember crossing the stream at all? Because I could have sworn – _

_Enough! _Raoul growled. _It's nearly dawn – get back to the den, both of you. _And then just to Red: _You're lucky it was me and not your mother on patrol tonight. When are you going to follow the pack's rules?_

_I'm sorry, Raoul, I just… _Red trailed off. _There's so much out there, so much I want to see, and sometimes I just – _

_It's not Red's fault, it's mine! _Quinn declared. _I started it. I was chasing her, at first. If anyone should be sorry, it should be me._

_I don't care whose fault it was! _The beta snapped. _I care that you start obeying the rules, like you should. Now get back to den territory before Anita skins you both alive._

Raoul was right, Red thought – as much as Anita encouraged Red to embrace her inner wolf, she still knew that her oldest daughter had a tendency to wander off and get herself – and, usually Quinn – into trouble. Since she was just a pup, the princess had always wanted to go far beyond the pack's territory. She didn't know what she wanted to see or find, exactly, but just the thought of _going _and _exploring _made Red's tail wag like a silly housedog. As she and Quinn trudged on scolded paws back towards the stream – the telltale sign of the pack's territory – Red heard an unmistakable, high-pitched _roar_. She and Quinn stared at each other with widened, gold wolf-eyes, both thinking the same horrified thought.

_Bear. _

The wolf pack had faced a countless number of normal animals before, and often treated them like any non-magical wolves would: they hunted elk, snapped at coyotes, and snacked on the occasional hare. But a bear was a different. Any of them could outrun, outsmart, and even take down the other forest creatures – but, like any normal wolf, none of them could go toe-to-toe with a full-grown bear.

_We have to attack it! _Red barked at Quinn, and ran off in the direction of the animal's scent.

_What? _Quinn exclaimed, chasing after her. _Are you insane? Do you have a death-wish or something I should know about? _And, when she didn't respond: _Red? Red! C'mon, let's just go back – it's not our problem!_

_It is our problem, if it could storm the den and attack the whole pack! _Red snarled back to him. _We can do this together, Quinn. We've been trained to fight. We can attack it. We can – _

And there in front of them, with outstretched, scathing claws, was the bear. Red didn't even think – her wolf instinct completely took over. She lunged at the bear and flashed her canine fangs; the she-wolf jumped at the bear from behind, and bite into it's neck. The bear screamed as it shook Red off, and she fell to the snow-covered ground, flat on her back. Before she could act again, the bear swiped it's talons at Red's flank, drawing blood and gouging her side and stomach. Quinn jumped in and tried to take the bear down from the opposite side, but it only turned in time to try to bite him in return. On the other side, Red bite the bear's hind leg, causing it to jeer away from Quinn with another screech and retreat, leaving both the princess and her best friend unscathed. It was then, at that very moment, when the moon finally faded from the sky, and gave way to the sun's morning light. Red and Quinn lay there on the ground, bruised, bleeding, and breathless.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asked her, rushing to her side – she was still bleeding.

"I think so. What about you?"

"It didn't bite me, you scared it off," he said. "I just – I think I broke something." Nothing all the blood pooling from Red's stomach, Quinn tore off his shirt and pressed it against her wound. "You're gonna fine," he told her. "Let's get on home."

Before they even got the chance to stumble into the wolf den, Red's younger sister, Sybil, ran out to them. Sybil was beautiful: she had the same hair that Red did, only she wore it much shorter, and had deep green eyes, the color of the herbs she was always gathering. Red's little sister was the pack's healer – a title that she had chosen to take up when they were still only pups together. As healer, Sybil was in charge of tending to the pack's illnesses and wounds, just as Raoul, as beta, was accountable for organizing patrols of the territory and any other day-to-day duties that Anita was too busy to deal with herself.

"How did you know we were hurt?" Red asked her sister, who had now escorted her and Quinn inside the pack's den and laid them down. She was laid next to her best friend, whose probably broken arm was wrapped in cobweb, as her sister gave her two large leaves to hold against her chest to stop any infection.

"Well," said Sybil. "Raoul told Mother that you were far out of the territory, and that you would be back soon. But then you never came back…"

"That filthy snitch!" The elder of the sisters yowled.

"I can't _believe _he – _ouch_!" Quinn sneered with pain. "Easy, Sybil."

"Does that hurt you?" She asked.

"Yes, it hurts me! Why else would I – _ouch_!" At his next cry, Red's sister disappeared to where she stored all of her supplies – most were different types of herbs and seeds, each with different uses, and also some occasional plants with magically properties here and there. The latter, though, Sybil only used in absolute emergencies.

"Is Mother angry with me?" Red asked her sister when she returned, carrying herbs with her.

"You know how she is. She was glad that you were embracing your wolf. But she was worried, too, especially when you didn't return. I was worried. We all were. How did you get yourself into this mess, anyway?"

"We, uh…we fought a bear."

"A _bear_?" Sybil's eyes grew wide. "You…_fought _a…_bear_?"

"We did," Red nodded. "And we won, too."

"If you thought Mother would have been angry before, she'll be twice as angry now! Quinn," she said, rubbing the light yellow petals of something off into her hand. "This is goldenrod. It's good for mending bones. After that's in your system, I'll give you some poppy seeds to help you sleep." The boy swallowed the yellow colored petals, and gagged. "Well, what were you expecting?" Sybil tried not to giggle good-naturedly at her patient's reaction. "It won't be honey and chamomile, that's for sure. But the most important thing is that you rest." Then, she looked to her sister, and removed the large oak leaves from her wound, happy to see no sign of infection.

"Will I live?" Red joked, laughing.

"It isn't funny, Red," her sister remarked. "You're lucky you walked away with only these injuries. Now, I'm going to dress your wound in cobweb to completely stop the bleeding, and give you some goldenrod in case you broke or sprained anything, and some honey and chamomile for…good measure. But don't tell anyone, or everyone will want some."

"Thanks, Sybil, you're a real friend!" Quinn deadpanned sarcastically.

"Oh, _fine_. I suppose you can have some, too…"

Once Red was able to get up from the spot where her sister had laid her, she flopped over on her bed, exhausted. She didn't know if it was the herbs that Sybil had given her, or the injuries themselves that made her so tired, but she felt completely drained now.

"So," came a familiar voice, right before Red drifted off to sleep. She sat up to see her mother, Anita, there before her. "Your sister told me you fought a bear."

"Why does everyone tell each other everything around here?" Red exclaimed.

"_Red_…"

"Okay, okay, yes – Quinn and I found a bear coming too close to the territory for comfort, so we fought it. And, just so you know, it ran away with it's tall between it's legs." When her daughter had finished, Anita suppressed a chuckle. "What?" Red asked. "What's so funny?"

"Now I know why your grandfather used to tell me I was suborn and reckless when I was your age. You're exactly like I was."

"_You_ fought a _bear_?"

"Don't sound so surprised! Being alpha isn't an easy title."

"So…you're not mad?" Red asked another question.

"No, I'm not mad. You were very brave and strong today, Red. And for that I am proud of you. But know this: being alpha is about more than being brave and strong. It's about being practical, rational, and not just doing the brave thing." As her mother finished speaking, Red studied the ground. She was feeling disappointed in herself now – and a long way from becoming alpha someday.

"I'm not practical, like you are Mother," she admitted. "When I'm the wolf, I can't think that way. I can hardly _think _at all! Something else just comes over me, I can't explain it…"

"Your warrior spirit," Anita told her. "It's a great thing to have. Something alpha's need more than anyone. You're almost there, Red. And you've got a lot of time yet." A pause, then: "how'd the bear look?"

"Worse than we do!"

"Good. That's good."

"I love you, Mother," Red said. "Do you really think I'll make a good alpha someday?"

"Yes, my daughter," her mother smiled. "I really do."


	2. Chapter 2

_May You Always Run Free Beneath The Moon's Pale Light_

Red turned over on her side and let out an agitated sigh. Here she was, alone in the den with only Sybil and Quinn to keep her company. Missing out on runs and hunts during Wolf's Time made her feel like she was going to implode. Quinn was bored up to the point of learning the names of the herbs that Sybil was taking stock of. As the pack's healer, it was Red's younger sister's responsibility to see over her patients at all cost – which, as far as Red and Quinn were concerned, was equivalent by now to keeping them prisoner.

"C'mon, Sybil, can't you let us go for _one night_? It's nearly the end of Wolf's Time!"

"You aren't making this any easier for me, Red," her sister huffed. "You think I _want _to babysit the two of you? I've got a lot of work to do, you know. Waya could have her pups any day now, we're low on juniper berries and burdock root, and not to mention that, like you said, Wolf's Time's _almost over_! Do you know what that means? I'll have double the amount of injuries to tend to than I usually do, plus all of you whinnying and complaining. So shut up, lay down, and behave!"

Red stared at her little sister, mouth agape. Sybil was _never _like this. She was always so demure, helpful and kind. She was acting so different, all of a sudden.

"Sybil, what's gotten into you?" The elder sister asked, still in shock. "Why've you got a tick in your fur?"

"I don't have a tick in my fur," she said, acting as calmly as she could – this set Red off even further; Sybil never had to _act _calm, she simply _was _calm.

"_D'awww_!" Quinn deadpanned sarcastically. "Does someone need to be cheered up?" He rushed over to the healer then, and wrapped his strong arms around her; he lifted her up and spun her around while Sybil struggled to get out of his grip the entire time.

"Quinn!" She protested. "Put me down!" But then, like a wolf would do to a favorite pack-mate, Quinn licked Sybil on the cheek, to which she reacted with a squeaked: "_Gross_!"

"C'mon, Sybil, tell me what's the matter," Red pressed once her best friend set the girl back on her feet. "And don't tell me it's nothing, because I know it's something."

"It's just…" Red's sister trailed off. "There was this little boy, this human – out by the village, where I collect the herbs that are harder to find. He was just a pup human – so small, and helpless, and he was crying out, and…"

"_And_…?" Both Red and Quinn urged her to continue.

"And I found him in the forest, hiding in the shadows, and he was afraid of me. So I shifted into human form, and told him to not be afraid – "

" – Sybil, _you _interacted with a human?" Red nearly gasped – even she would not think of disobeying the pack's strictest rule.

"I had no choice, the pup was dying," she said with her head bent low. "He was shaking uncontrollably, and his skin was nearly blue. I tried to save him myself, but there was nothing I could do…so, I – I carried him into the village, and there an old woman told me she would care for him."

"Oh, Sybil…" this was all Red could say. She was at a complete loss for words.

"Please don't tell Mother," the girl begged. "She'll skin my pelt off if she finds out!"

"I'd never tell," Red pledged.

"Nor would I," Quinn added.

"Thank you," Sybil breathed a sigh of relief. "But I must return to the village before dawn."

"But why?"

"I promised the pup. He begged for me to return to him. Please, don't let anyone become suspicious."

"Fine," said her sister. "On one condition: we get to go with you."

"Yeah!" Quinn agreed. "You can't keep us cooped up in here while you go off and break the pack's highest rule…for the _second _time!"

"But you're recuperating from your injuries!" There was a beat of silence, and she dropped her head again. "Alright," Sybil sighed, knowing this was a battle she could not win. "If anyone asks, you're helping me collect some rare herbs."

"Let's go then!" Red called, jumping to her feet. "If we leave now, we'll get there and then have enough time to be back before dawn." Quinn followed suit and the two of them bounded out of the den and shifted forms; Sybil trailed after them, apprehensively.

_What's the matter? _The older sister asked the younger.

_What…what if I was too late? What if he's dead? _

_Aw, Sibby, don't think that way! _Quinn added, making Sybil smile with the use of her puppyhood nickname. _I'm sure the little pup's sitting up in bed right now, waiting for you._

_Let's hope, _she said, and the three of them started off in the direction of the village. They crossed the stream – the pack's signature mark of the start of their territory – and found themselves bonding through the last few trees and saw outline of the village ahead of them. The group suddenly grew very tentative – they had been told that where humans are, death follows since they were just pups. Before entering, they shifted forms, so no one would hopefully suspect what they really were. Sybil took off, running into the village.

"Hey," Red called after her. "Wait up!" But her sister did no such thing. She ran as fast as her human form-self could towards where she had left the little boy the past night. She burst into the old woman's cottage, where she found the human boy lying in a makeshift bed, with an older human boy at his side.

"Who are you?" Asked the older boy as Quinn and Red caught up to her.

"We're here to see him," said Sybil, pointing to the child and not answering his question. "He had me promise to return to him." It was then when the child stirred, and blinked away the last bit of slumber.

"Sybil?" The boy asked, sitting up. "You're back! You came back!" As Sybil knelt down by the side of the boy, the older human turned to Red and Quinn.

"Is she the one who saved my brother?"

"Your brother?" Quinn asked, looking to Red. The little boy knew their secret, but if he ever told anyone, they would just call him the boy who cried wolf. As for an older human, the same situation could become dangerous.

"Yes," he answered. "My brother. My name is Peter. Please, tell me what's happened. I've only known what Widow Lucas has told me, and that isn't much."

"Widow Lucas?"

"The old woman who lives in this cottage," Peter answered. "All she told me was that a woman saved him. Please, please just explain."

"That's all that happened," Quinn said as noncommittally as he could. "Really. Our friend found him, very ill, in the forest and brought him here. That's all."

"Fine," but Peter didn't believe it. "I won't press you. You wouldn't withhold information without reason. My brother will be well again, and that's all that matters to me."

"Ah," came a new voice. "So this must be the girl who saved the day…and she brought some friends along…" In walked the old woman in question, Widow Lucas.

"W-we're sorry to have barged into your home, Madame," said Red, standing up, with Quinn doing the same by her side. "We didn't mean to be rude. Y-you have a lovely home…" The old woman did not react, so Red continued: "I'm Red, and this is Quinn, and my sister over there is Sybil. W-we won't overstay our welcome…"

"Oh, I'm sure you won't," and she indicated for Peter to leave the room, and Red glanced at Quinn to do the same. "I know all about you – your _kind_."

Red froze.

"I, uh, I don't know what you mean…" She recoiled. "We'll…um, we'll be on our way now…"

"Not so fast," Widow Lucas continued. "What? Your mother hasn't told you about me?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

"You know, you could have been raised just as human as those two boys out there."

"What are _talking about_?" Red repeated, her human teeth flashing into fangs. "Explain yourself!"

"Little Red, you could have – _should have _been raised right, you and your sister. Raised _human_, like your mother was – "

" – That's a _lie_! You're _lying_!" If she were in wolf form, Red would have pounced. "And how do you know my nickname? I haven't been called that since I was…"

"Since you were, what your mother would call a 'pup'. What normal, civilized _humans _call a 'child'. You mean to say you don't remember me?" The old woman looked a bit saddened by this notion. "No, you won't…you were so young…"

"Explain yourself," Red repeated, but calmer this time. "Please."

"You must understand," said Widow Lucas. "I had already lost your mother to this…this _cult _you follow – "

" – Our _pack _is not some kind of _cult_!" She interjected. "We're _family_!"

"Not your _real _family, Little Red. No – that's what _I _am. You're _real _family. Anita is my daughter, making you and your sister – "

" – Your…your granddaughters…? But…I don't understand. No – no that can't be right! My mother _couldn't _have been raised…_human_…w-was she?"

"A long time ago, there was a wolf – much like you and the wolves from your…_pack _– that terrorized this village. My father and brothers went off to kill it but it overpowered them. I was watching from the roof, and when I fell in front of the wolf it marked me – bit my forearm – turning me into one of…your kind. I rejected the wolf, and since have lost your ability to transform into it, only retaining some of it's traits. My husband – the wolf who turned me – did the same, and we lived a happy, _human _life together."

"But…my mother," Red urged. "Tell me about my mother."

"Your grandfather and I had a daughter – Anita, your mother – and we hid this…this _curse _from her as long as we could. But as she aged, the curse grew stronger. She was about your age when it first took over her. I begged her to reject it, like her father and I had. But your mother wouldn't – she was addicted to what the curse can give you, and left for a life with the awful _cult of a 'pack'_ that all of you are now a part of, but not before a huge fight between the three of us. Your mother didn't know how to control the effects of the curse yet, and in a bout of rage she attacked her father and killed him."

"So you cast her out? You said it yourself, she didn't know what she was doing, she had no proper training – "

" – I certainly _did not _cast her out!" The woman yelled. "I only pleaded with her to refuse the wolf even more so! But she didn't, and left me. It was years later that I'd found out that her – what is it that you call significant others?"

"Mates. What about her mate? My father?"

"Yes, your father. He was killed by hunters. Anita was devastated. You were maybe two years old, if that. Your sister was just a baby. I was probably the last person on earth she wanted to see then, but I found her and begged her to come home with me. When she again refused, I pleaded with her to let me raise you and your sister the way you _should _have been raised – human, as she was. I told her I would do anything to keep the two of you from the fate that your father received, and the same fate that your mother tempts every day. I told her I would take you away, and nearly did, too…she nearly killed me."

Red could not speak. She merely looked at the woman there, and saw a life she might have known.

"Sybil! Quinn!" She finally called. "We're leaving!"

"Wait, please," Widow Lucas grabbed hold of the girl's arm. "Please stay. _Please_."

"We can't," said her granddaughter. "If we aren't back before dawn, our alpha will know something's wrong. No one knows we left; the pack's highest rule is to never interact with humans. Now I know why."

"But…you'll come back, won't you? You and your sister?" The look on her face made Red's heart hurt.

"We'll try," she told her. "But I can't promise anything."

"But you'll try."

"Yes," she said. "We'll try."

They returned before dawn, so no one suspected a thing. However, Red looked at her mother in a completely different light now. But how could she say something, without breaking her promise to Sybil? Even in human form, she felt like whimpering. It took a nearly a whole day of simmering on the subject for Red to realize that she _had _to say something, promise or no promise.

"Mother," she pulled Anita aside. "I have to talk to you. Last night, I…I met someone. And I learned a lot of things that…" she couldn't help it – her inner alpha was taking over. "…That I should have learned from you! Why didn't you tell me I had family other than the pack? Why did you hide a whole piece of who I am from me?"

"You will _not _speak to me that way!" Anita yelled. "I could cuff your ears for this! Now explain yourself!"

"We were in the village last night, Quinn, Sybil, and I. Sybil recused a human pup. There I met a woman named Widow Lucas – your mother, my grandmother. And she told me about a huge piece of my life and yours, that _you _should have told me about yourself!"

"_Sybil_!" Their mother beckoned her younger daughter, ignoring the subject at hand. When she appeared by their sides, out of earshot from their other pack-mates, she continued: "You saved a _human _from dying?"

"W-without me he would have perished…" If Sybil were in her wolf form, her tail would have been between her legs.

"That's not the point!" Red cut in. "And Sybil, I'm sorry, but I had to tell her – there's something I need to get to the bottom of, something you disserve to know too. Wait," then, with a look to her mother: "You should tell her! Tell her all you didn't tell me!"

Red was already on the ground when she felt the harsh sting of her mother's slap hit her face.


	3. Chapter 3

_May You Always Run Free Beneath The Moon's Pale Light_

The boy called Peter stared down at Red as she staggered to her paws. She blinked her golden eyes quickly, looking around, and tasted the air, but nothing looked familiar to her. There were no scents that she recognized at all, friend or foe; all she could see was Peter looking at her through some sort of thin rails in front of her. She slowly lifted a gray claw, indicated to swipe at whatever was obstructing her vision. Her paw met the strange metal substance with a loud _clank _noise, and Red flattened her ears, stepped back, and yipped in surprise, like a puppy whose tail was just trampled on. She had stricken one of the many small metal bars in front of her. As she tried to sit up, her head and muzzle hit the same bars. Panic shuddered through Red in a flash as her hackles stood on end – she was now being faced with her worst fear.

She was trapped; _caged_.

Red flared her fangs as Peter glared at her through the metal bars. The look on his face alone terrified her. Then, he slipped one of his hands onto the front of the cage, and unhooked the lock, letting Red out. The gray wolf jumped out of the cage onto the forest ground.

"Red…" he said, and before she knew it, Red was standing next to him in her human form.

"Wait," she protested. "What's going on?" For some reason, he had a silver necklace in his hands now, and unclasped it to place it around Red's neck. "No," she said, but she was weak all of a sudden. "No, I can't – it's _silver_…" but she felt as if her head was pounding and her senses, which were already dulled from being in human form, were so deadened now that she collapsed to the ground. The silver necklace was clasped around her neck, and Red felt as if she was slowly loosing her abilities to think, move, and breathe. All she could hear was the warning that her mother had told her for as long as she could remember: _where humans go, death follows…_

Red woke up in the den, with one hand holding her throat and the other grasping at her chest. She took quick, rasped breaths, as she sat up in bed; her whole body was sweaty and her hair was matted with perspiration, too. Though she was shaking, Red forced herself out of bed, and paced around in a small circle.

"It was just a dream," she told herself. "That's all it was, a bad dream. And it's over now. It's _over _now…"

"Hey, Red," Quinn called, poking his head through one of the curtains that divided each of the wolves' resting places, pulling back the one that gave Red her privacy. "Are you up? Wanna go for a walk? Hey…" he saw that something was wrong. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she answered. "Just a nightmare, that's all. It's fine now. What were you saying?" Then Quinn walked over to her, and took her hand.

"Look," he said, looking into her eyes. "I didn't want to say this, but it's been on my mind, and now I think I should just say it…"

"Okay," Red shrugged. "Go on. If you want to say something, say it."

"I…" but her best friend couldn't find the words, so he kissed Red on the lips. She quickly pulled away, and without thinking, slapped him across the face. "What was thatfor?" He yowled, with a hand on his now-burning cheek.

"What was _that _for?" Red demanded. "Why did you _kiss _me? Oh my God, you _kissed _me!" She covered her lips with her hand. "What is _wrong _with you, Quinn?"

"Just let me explain – "

" – Yeah, that'd be nice! An _explanation _would be _great_!"

"Okay, okay – calm down!"

"_Calm down_? You expect me to _ca _– " but she couldn't finish, because he kissed her again. "_Stop it_, Quinn! This isn't funny!"

"I'm not trying to be _funny_!" He retorted. "I'm trying to be _serious_!"

"I was afraid you'd say that…"

"Red," he started. "I'm sorry. But I guess what I mean is…sooner or later, the two of us are going to have to…_be _together…"

Once the initial shock of his statement was over, Red realized that he was, like it or not, _right_. Everyone in the pack besides the healers, who take vows of chastity – in this case, Sybil only – eventually had to take a mate. The purpose of this was to keep the pack running as strongly and smoothly as possible, and Red and Quinn were no exceptions. She didn't love him – at least, not in _that_ way – and as far as she knew, he didn't love her either. But that didn't matter, Red thought, because this just made sense.

"Quinn…"

"Red, I…" he stopped himself, took a breath, and continued: "You're my best friend. And I do love you…"

"But you're not…_in _love with me, are you?"

"No. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Red felt relieved. "Because I'm not in love with you either. I mean, you're my best friend too, you're my pack-brother, you know everything about me, and I'd trust you with my life a million times over! And I do love you, but like a brother…"

"But…_us, _together – it just…makes sense…" Quinn continued. "Eventually, everyone but Sybil is going to have to pair up based on what's best for the pack. And you're the _princess _for crying out loud! Do you know how many males will try to…take advantage of you if you aren't paired already? I would never let that happen to you, Red, I swear I'll protect you. And think about it. I've got strength, and you've got speed – you're next in line to be alpha of the pack, and I could take on any one of these wolves with one claw tied behind my back!" He shot her a smile. "Like I said, it just makes sense."

"Ya' know," she finally responded. "When I become alpha someday, God knows I'm not keeping Raoul as my beta. He's a strong warrior, but he's so haughty and prances around like he's just taken down a buck elk by himself all the time! Anyway, with him out of the picture, I'm gonna need a beta by my side who cares about the good of the pack and has everybody's trust…and being about to take on any other wolf with one claw tied behind their back doesn't hurt, either."

They hugged, and soon after Red was alone again, left wishing that Wolf's Time hadn't ended, and she could simply phase into her wolf form right now, and run until her legs burned. It was things like these that the princess had trouble with – if she had to issue battle commands, lead a hunting patrol, or drive a predator out of the territory, she would be more than happy to act. But things like these – practical issues – are what gave Red trouble.

She didn't know how to feel now, as she'd never dealt with this issue or anything like it before. So, she just crawled back into bed, and curled up into a ball. The princess bit her lip in uncertainty – was she over-reacting or under-reacting to the conversation that she and Quinn had just had? So many emotions that she just couldn't place pulsed through her now, and she hadn't the faintest idea of what to do about them. And here she was, facing it alone. But who was there that she could talk to? The person who she had always talked to whenever anything happened to her – namely, Quinn – was out of the question, for obvious reasons. Was this something she could go to her mother about? Red considered it, but she knew that Anita was busier than ever now with Wolf's Time having just ended, plus the fight that they had had the night before left them on rocky terms. What about Sybil? Her sister, she knew, was very busy now, too, and being a healer, Sybil would never have to go through something like this. But since she couldn't deal with this herself for another minute, Red figured that going to see her sister was the best choice. She needed some kind words right now, and if there was one thing Sybil was, it was kind.

She found her sister in the part of the den that she used to tend to patients – it was attached to the nursery, where newborn pups and their mothers stayed, and had it's own little alcove for all of her stored-up herbs and remedies, with a special place with plants and mixtures with magical properties. Red flopped down on one of the currently unused makeshift beds that the healer used for patients, and looked around for her sister. Not seeing her, she called out:

"Sybil? Sybil, are you in?"

"_Shhh_!" She heard her sister yowl from the nursery. Red got back to her feet and found the healer there, with the three little pups whom were just born that morning. "There you are, my little one," she cooed as she rocked one of them in her arms. "There you are, my little pup. That's it – sleep now, my darling. One day when you're big and strong, you will be a warrior. But today, you can dream, my darling, safe and sound…"

Red couldn't help but smile. Her sister amazed her with her pure compassion.

"They look so weird in human form!" She remarked as Sybil laid the sleeping pup down with it's two other siblings. "Like little hairless rodents!"

"_Red_!" Her sister whisper-screamed, as not to wake the pups. She led her sister out of the nursery and then, actually screamed: "How could you say that! They're so helpless and innocent!"

"Easy, easy – I was kidding!" She smiled at her. "Do you ever…do you ever wish you could have your own? I mean, do you ever feel like you're missing out, having taken your vows and all?"

"Not in the slightest," the younger princess answered. "And to answer your first question, I do have my own. They're all mine. Now, what do you need me for? Are you feeling alright?" Red collapsed back onto the cot and sighed at her questions.

"No," she said. "Not really – I don't know."

"What's the matter? What hurts you? Are you hurt? Are you in pain?" Sybil was now in what Red referred to as her sister's 'healer-mode'.

"No, I'm not in pain. I mean, not physically at least. I can't explain it, Sybil, it's the oddest thing. It's like…my heart hurts."

"Oh, Red…" she trailed off. "What happened? Tell me what happened." And she did, explaining to her sister about the conversation that she and Quinn had earlier that morning. "Hmm…I see…" was her sister's first response.

"Please don't go all healer on me right now, Sibby," the older sister pleaded. "I need my little sister, not a diagnosis."

"I…I really don't know what to say to make you feel any better…" Red could hear the sudden defeat in her sister's voice – she _hated _not being able to make someone feel better. "I don't know what to say. But you both are right about one thing: the two of you, together, would make nothing but greatness for the pack. I know this is hard, but look at it this way: so many pairs who didn't start out loving each other end up happier than they could have every expected. Look at Raoul and Waya, for example. They practically _hated _each other and now…and now, this is their second litter that I'm caring for. Does that help at all?"

Maybe Sybil was right, Red told herself. Maybe she could grow to love Quinn after all…

"Yes," she said, giving her sister a smile. "Thank you. I…I have to go. But again, thank you."

Red didn't know why she was doing this, and she certainly could not think of what possessed her feet – her _human feet_, nonetheless – to take off running, in broad daylight, towards the village. But still, even though she could not think of one practical reason why, Red found herself out of breath, and standing at an old cottage door. She took a deep breath, and knocked on it. She didn't know what she was looking for here, or what she expected to find, but when the girl's grandmother answered the door, she suddenly felt the one emotion that she had wantedto feel all day.

She suddenly felt better.


	4. Chapter 4

_May You Always Run Free Beneath The Moon's Pale Light_

Red found herself now sitting around a round, wooden table in her grandmother's small cabin in the village, across from the boy named Peter and his little brother, with Widow Lucas stationed at the small kitchenette, waiting for her teakettle to whistle. The younger boy, Red learned, was now healthy again; she had to make a note to herself to be sure that she tells Sybil about this when she came back home, as she knows that her sister would be so relieved. The two brothers, she learned, were shepherds; they tended to, cared for, and protected their flocks of sheep in the village pastures. The child of the moon nearly laughed out loud at this notion – as if any humans could 'protect' their sheep if she our one of her pack-mates decided to make an easy meal of them.

The shepherd boy stared at Red with big, quizzical eyes – both the young boy and the princess knew that, because of her sister's saving his life, the boy now knew her secret. However, Red wondered if he _understood _it at all. How could he, with only one encounter with Sybil, suddenly know everything? He probably had just as many questions for Red as she did for him. Looking to Peter, the girl shuttered. It was one thing if a little boy knew about them – the villagers would shrug it off and dub him 'the boy who cried wolf' – but if an older human, who had no reason to make up tall tales for fun and games, were to spread the same story of some sort of 'part-wolf-part-human monsters'…Red didn't even want to _think _about what that might mean…

"So…" said the younger boy, sitting straight up in his chair. "What did you say your name was?"

"Red," the princess answered. "My name's Red. What's yours?"

"Joseph," the responded rather passively – it was clear that he didn't want to waist his time with simple introductions, but didn't know how to get on the subject he wanted to address, either. There were a few awkward beats of silence, and then finally the boy just came right out with it. "Are you a werewolf?" He asked the question far too excitedly for Red's taste. "Do you eat people? Can you run really fast? Do you have sonic hearing? Do you have sonic smell? Do you see in black and white like dogs do? Can you – "

" – _Joseph_!" His brother cut him off. "Stop it! You're being rude!"

Red just stared at both of them with an agape mouth and furrowed eyebrows, completely taken aback.

"Uh…" she bit her lip. "I…I'm not sure I can answer your questions…"

"But why not?" Joseph asked, entirely disappointed.

"I'm sorry," Red continued. "But I don't know if I can trust you."

"_You _don't know if _you _can trust _us_?" Peter asked. "How do _we _know that _we _can trust _you _not to kill us right now for sport! How do we know you won't eat us for a snack, or mount or heads on a wall somewhere!"

"Because…because I'm not a monster!" She yelled.

"And neither are we."

It was then when Red's grandmother emerged from the kitchen, trying to balance four teacups and a teakettle in her hands; as both Peter and Red scrambled to help the woman, one of them dropped out of her hand. Red caught it in a flash, to the shock of the two humans in the room.

"_Whoa_…" Joseph remarked.

"Yes, Joseph," Widow Lucas agreed, sitting down at the empty chair. "'_Whoa_', indeed."

"So…so you _are _fast!" The boy smiled and his entire face lit up.

"Joseph," his brother cut in. "Don't press her. That's not good manners, and it's not fair to Red." Red looked to her grandmother, who nodded.

"It's okay," she told her. "You can trust them."

A sudden flash of a thought pulsated through Red like lightning – how did she know she could trust _any _of them? How did she know that this woman wasn't lying to her completely? Her doubt quickly faded away, however; she didn't quite know why, but Red simply _knew _that Widow Lucas was trustworthy. Perhaps it was her instinct, perhaps it was something else – but something in her heart told her that she was telling the truth, and moreover, that she loved her.

"Okay, Joseph," she finally said with a deep breath. "Fire away." The little shepherd nearly fell out of his seat with excitement. He didn't know which question to ask first.

"Are…are you really a _werewolf_?" He asked, his big eyes fixated on Red.

"We proffer 'children of the moon'," she corrected the boy. "The term 'werewolf' suggests negative connotation. But if you're asking if I can turn into a wolf, the answer is yes, as you saw my sister do when she found you in the forest that night."

"Sybil's your sister?"

"Yes, she's my little sister. And she disobeyed our pack's highest rule by saving you. We're _never_, _under any circumstances _supposed to interact with humans."

"So what you're saying is," Peter started. "That _you're _breaking that rule right now?"

"I…yes," Red answered, feeling entirely guilty. "I'm not supposed to be here. I'm not supposed to be talking to you. And I'm _really _not supposed to be telling you any of this."

"Then…why are you?"

"Because…I…" but Red couldn't find an answer.

"Because you're more than just a wolf, Little Red," her grandmother told her, cutting in. "That's only part of who are you. There's another part of you, too. A _human _part."

"Yes," Red let out a sigh of relief without even realizing it. "I suppose that's why." There was a beat of silence, then:

"Turn into a wolf! Turn into a wolf! Please, please, _please_?"

"Joseph, I will not ask you again to stop!" Peter scolded the boy. "You're being very rude. Where are your manners? This girl's sister saved your life, for crying out loud!"

"I'm sorry," the boy said quietly.

"Oh…no, don't be sorry! It's fine – I-I've never had someone be so…interested in my life before…" Red smiled at him. "And, even if I wanted to turn into a wolf, I couldn't."

"We wouldn't tell anyone, Red," Peter said. "You're secret is safe with us."

"That's not what I meant," she added. "I _can't _shift forms right now. It isn't Wolf's Time – the moon isn't full anymore. I'm a child of the moon, you see. We have the speed, strength, and senses of the wolf all the time, but we can only transform during a full moon."

"What do mean 'we'?"

"There are others like Red," Widow Lucas explained. "They live together in groups called packs. And…and how does that work, exactly?"

"Well," the princess started again. "Packs are groups of children of the moon who all live together and support each other, with everyone having their own place. There's an alpha – that's my mother – who's the leader. Then there's a beta, who's the alpha's second-in-command, and they usually take care of all the day-to-day things that alphas are too busy for. There's one or more healers in a pack, too – that's what my sister Sybil is, and that's why she saved you, Joseph. The healer's responsible for the health and well-being of his or her pack-mates. The older wolves who have finished their training are accountable for duties like patrolling the territory, going on hunting excursions, chasing out predators, or training the younger the wolves. The younger wolves need to learn from the older, and train in our ways so they can follow in their pack-mates' pawsteps. And all of us, together, are responsible for the greater good of the whole pack." She smiled, and added: "That's the how it works."

"So you…you are like a family, then?" The old woman asked hopefully. "You and your sister, you had a family growing up after all?"

"We did. A great one."

Just then, there were a few quick rasps on the door. Peter got up from his chair, unhitched the door's latch, and swung it open. There, looking in through the doorframe, was Sybil.

"I – I'm sorry to intrude…" she started, and then looked to her sister: "I thought you might be here…"

"Is anyone suspicious?" Red asked, a little worried. She hadn't been keeping track of time, and if she were gone too long, someone was bound to notice.

"No," her sister said. "I covered for you. I said you were helping me mix remedies in the forest."

"Thank you," Red breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is it true what Red tells me?" Sybil asked, now facing Widow Lucas. "Are you truly our grandmother? Our family?"

"Yes, my dear," the old woman couldn't hold back a smile. "It is true."

"I…that's…" but Sybil didn't know what to say – whether to hug the woman or run away from her – and looked to her sister for support. "What are doing here, anyway?"

"I…Sybil, I was explaining to them…"

"Yes…?"

"I pretty much told them everything."

"Well…are they trustworthy?"

"Are _we _trustworthy!" Peter piped up. "Like you couldn't eat us and terrorize our village if we ever told anyone!"

"We wouldn't do that!" Both sisters exclaimed, but it was their grandmother's turn to explain:

"Long ago, before any of you were born," she started. "There was a werew – erm, a _child of the moon_, much like the two of you, who terrorized this village. And what Peter is referencing are the stories he's heard of it over the years. The wolf back then was your grandfather's father – my father-in-law – who ripped through the village during…what did you call it, again?"

"Wolf's Time," Red supplied her with the name. "The time when the moon is full."

"Yes, that's it. During Wolf's Time, this wolf tore through the village, slaughtering innocents left and right, causing everyone to panic and – "

"And…start hunting wolves?" Sybil asked quietly. "Is that…is that how your people started coming after us?"

"It is," their grandmother nodded in affirmation. "By the time your grandfather came along, he'd seen all of his father's doings, and started to follow in his footsteps. As I told you, Little Red, he ripped through the village just the same, and killed many humans, along with my father and brothers. As a wolf, he marked me by biting my forearm, turning me into a child of the moon in the process. But I rejected the wolf, and taught your grandfather to do the same – and when it came down to defending the village or upholding loyalty to his father, your grandfather chose our new life together. He killed in father in a battle against him, and neither of us gave into the wolf since."

"That's – that's terrible!" Sybil cried. "But…we aren't all like that! Surely you must understand – "

" – Yes, Sibby, _I _understand. Everyone in this room understands," the woman said soundly. "But sadly, not many others do or ever will."

"You…called me Sibby," she let out a breath. "Did you…know about us, before we knew about you? Have we met before?"

"She told me when I spoke to her that day you came back for Joseph," Red told her sister. "She'd seen us before, Sybil. She wanted to take us away and give us a life here, with her. A _human_ life." At her older sister's words, the healer simply stared into the distance, trying to grasp what life might have been like, had she been raised human.

"Red," Peter suddenly said. "I…I do hope you – and, and your sister, of course – won't be leaving any time soon. You could – you could stay with…me."

"And me!" His brother added, nearly jumping. "We'll have a sleepover! We'll have such fun!"

"I'm sorry," she said. "But we do have to be getting back soon. I didn't realize how late it's gotten, and if we stay away very long, our mother will send someone after us. We're almost never alone, being of the alpha bloodline and all…"

"But I do hope we'll meet again," Peter added. "I…I do hope so very much."

"As do I," Red said, nodding her head to him. "And we will return – we'll try to, anyway. Right, Sybil?"

Her sister said nothing but nodded curtly, and soon the two princesses traveled back into the forest, only even more dazed and haunted by what could have been.


	5. Chapter 5

_May You Always Run Free Beneath The Moon's Pale Light_

Red was sitting by the river in the clearing, on the outskirts of their territory with Quinn. The sun was setting on the river, and the sky seemed to be a watercolor of reds and pinks and yellows. She looked at this mixed-colored sky and smiled, holding a small, smooth stone in her hand, flipping it over in her palm.

"Ready?" She asked Quinn, who was holding a stone like hers.

"Ready," he responded, and they both looked out over the river.

"One…two…three…_now_!"

The two of them threw their stones and watched them skip across the water with such speed that the notion of trying to tell which went farther seemed completely ridiculous from such a view point. With another look at each other, they raced to the other side of the narrow river, laughing at each other while they ran. After many anticipated moments of searching, they found Red's stone far from the other side of the river, but Quinn's even farther away than Red's.

"_Ha_!" He gloated, flashing an ear-to-ear smile at his best friend. The princess used this as an excuse to tackle him to the ground. They rolled around, wrestling like they used to when they were younger, each trying to pin the other down. When they finally untangled from each other, Red found herself laughing – giddily laughing, even.

_I could grow to love him_, she told herself. _I could grow to love him. I could grow to love him…_

"Excuse me?" A third voice suddenly called. Red and Quinn sprung to their feet, on the defense. A gruff-looking man with scruffy brown hair, unshaven stubble and deep, green-gold eyes appeared from the forest and started walking over to them. "Please…" he huffed, out of breath, sensing the tenseness coming from the children of the moon. "Let me explain, I am known as The Huntsman…h-have you hear of me?"

"The Huntsman…" Red murmured. "You mean to say…you're the human boy that was raised by wolves? There are legends telling of such a man. But…what do you want with us? Get away from here, we've no business with you!"

"Actually," said The Huntsman. "You do. Much in the way that you've heard legends about me, I've heard the same about you – about these wonderful creatures, part-human, part-wolf creatures called children of the moon. I know all about you! I – "

" – Why would you assume that _we _have anything to do with your silly stories?"

"Because of your scent, of course!" He continued. "I was raised by wolves, see – I have been taught how to recognize a wolf, or anything else really, by scent. Please, I don't mean to harm you. I only want to join you!"

"_Join _us?" Quinn questioned with narrowed eyes.

"Yes," the man answered. "My family is a pack of wolves. Not children of the moon, like you, but just non-magical wolves. And I could become like one of them, even if only during the full moon, it would mean the world to me…" The Huntsman dropped to his knees. "Please…" he implored, weakly. "I beg of you…"

"Quinn," Red looked to her friend. "Go fetch my mother, Raoul and Sybil. They'll all need to hear about this."

Meanwhile, Sybil was crouched over in the nursery with Tala, one of the three new additions to the pack. Tala had cried through the night yet again despite the healer's best efforts to sooth her. All the symptoms were pointing to what Sybil had been fearing: Violet Fever was a disease that could sometimes appear in pups, starting as a chest infection, then later grew stronger with a very high fever, culminating in what it is most infamous for – the disease would spread throughout the body rather quickly, leaving it's victim to experience life-threatening seizures. By this time, the sufferer is so weak and sickly that they can endure it no longer – they usually face death in vain of their heart giving out due to the seizures, or their bodies completely shutting down due to the sickness.

If Tala did indeed have Violet Fever, this would mean that she would have to be kept in quarantine, because the disease is only spread by direct inhalation. There is no known cure, but the only thing that can help slow the progression of it and bring up the victim's strength is the special flower that the Fever is named after – Violets. She'd need to be given lots of violets, and be injected by pollen-filled needles. Even then, the disease would not be _cured_, but it can potentially be made dormant – unfortunately, however, if the pup did indeed have the Fever, she would always be susceptible to it, and she more than likely would not live past her puppyhood.

Sybil sighed. The young one had finally stopped crying and faded into a soft sleep in her arms, but this made her feel no better. She couldn't bear the thought of loosing this, or any patient – not if she could help it.

"Mowgli?"

Sybil peeked into the den and called the pup's name, after placing the sleeping Tala in an isolated, nest-like crib. Mowgli was an older pup, nearly ready to start his wolf training, who had shown great interest in helping Sybil with her healer duties. If the pup proved himself to her, she would invite him to train under her to become a healer himself someday.

"Yes, Sybil?" He asked, rushing in, eager to aid her. "Can I help? Please, can I?"

"You may," she smiled at him, making the boy's big, brown eyes light up. "Go into the forest and fetch me as many violets and nettles as you can carry. Alright?"

"Yes, Sybil," he said with a keen nod, and raced off.

"Sybil? Are you in?" Another voice called – the healer turned around to see that it was Quinn. "You need to come with me. Right away."

"What's happened?" She asked, now worried. "Is someone hurt?"

"No," Quinn answered. "At least, not yet. Anita and Raoul have already gone. C'mon, you'll understand when we get there."

"I can't, not unless it's an emergency. If no one's hurt or needs care, I have to stay with Tala."

"Alright," he said. "I'll be going then. Do you need anything? I'll be out by the river."

"No, I just sent Mowgli out. Thank you though," he turned to go, but then she stopped him. "Quinn," she called him back. "Wait."

"Yes?"

"You…you will be good to my sister, won't you?"

"I'll be as good to her as I possibly can."

"You'll protect her?"

"With my life."

"You'll have her best interest at heart?"

"I already do. I always will."


	6. Chapter 6

_May You Always Run Free Beneath The Moon's Pale Light_

"You must know that I mean you no harm," The Huntsman told the group that had gathered there around him in the forest, as he finished explaining his story again. "All I ask is that you make me one of you, and I would leave you be. I would even help you, if given the chance."

"Help us how?" Raoul asked with narrowed eyes.

"There is a convict who is loose in these woods," he explained. "She is wanted by the Queen for murder, treason, and treachery. Her name is Snow White. She is a princess, the daughter of the late King Leopold, but now Queen Regina has reason to want her dead for her crimes. I have been asked to capture the princess's heart. During the course of my search for her, if you'd help me, I would help eliminate all other opposing factors to your pack…I'd rid this forest of hunters and any other predators as best I could – "

" – Your business with human criminals does not concern us," Anita's voice was low and cold. "And we do _not_ need the _help _of a _human _like you. Where humans go, death follows."

Red shuttered at the way that her mother and her second-in-command looked at The Huntsman. As the man who was weak from travel and possibly having had to due battle along the way fell to his knees in front of them, begging for them to find a way to make his wish come true, they stared at him with unbelievable coldness, as if they were only sizing up the best way to kill him.

_I guess this is what it means to be a wolf_, Red reminded herself, as she and Quinn watched the ongoing exchange from a little ways behind. If only for a brief moment, she saw her mother's eyes flick from the ragged, desperate face of The Huntsman up to the now nearly night sky. _Oh_, _that's what she's getting at,_ Red realized, as she saw her mother's lips curl into a devious smile. Starting tonight, it would be Wolf's Time again.

"Drop your sword, sir," said Anita, motioning to the sword at The Huntsman's side. "And if you have any other weapons on you – knives, bow and arrows, anything – drop them as well. We do not fight with weapons here." Wordlessly, the man rose to staggering feet and did as he was told. "If you have anything silver on your person, remove that also. Silver is the weakness of our people. It will only harm you once you become one of us."

"Yes, of course," he said, and complied.

With another look at the darkening sky above them, Anita and Raoul shifted from their positions and backed into a seemingly innocent yet completely organized stance, just the perfect distance near to and yet far enough away from each other and their target. Red shuttered for a second time. They were getting ready to kill him.

"Quinn, Red," Raoul beckoned with a nod of his head for them to do the same. Quinn was already following suit, getting ready to attack. Red froze – she didn't want to kill this man, who clearly meant them no harm; it wasn't what she _wanted _to do, but it was what she was _supposed _to do. "We must wait for the moon to be at it's highest," he told the man.

"What does it take to transform a human?" The Huntsman asked.

"A bite to the heart and the sacred incantation of our people," the pack's leader explained. "Only an alpha can preform it – it must be very precise."

"That is why we must wait for the moon?"

"Yes," she breathed, looking down on him. "_That _is why."

"_Wait_," Red murmured through her teeth, facing Anita. "We don't have to do this. It doesn't have to be this way. He means us no harm, we could help him and let him go – he'd be a lone wolf as far as the pack is concerned, nothing that we would have to worry about…" But as she spoke, the full moon rose to its highest point in the sky.

"Red," Anita looked at her daughter, and narrowed her eyes. "_Take care of this_."

Red's heart leered and as she took a deep breath, she felt as if it had just fallen into her stomach. With golden wolf-eyes, she glared at the man on his knees and mouthed: '_run_'. The Huntsman ran as Red had instructed, running from what he now assumed to be his doom. Red chased him as a wolf while the others looked on, watching until she chased the man so far towards the other side of the forest that they could no longer see them. She had ran him so far that by now they were on the outskirts of the village – it was then when something made The Huntsman trip and fall to the ground. Now was Red's chance. Now she could go in for the kill. Fangs bared, Red lowered her head and stepped slowly towards her prey, preparing to lunge for the attack…

"Red?" A new voice broke through and made Red stop in her tracks. There, in the edge of the village, was Peter. "R-Red? Is – Is that you?"

The wolf lifted her head at his question. Her gold eyes widened from their previously narrowed state, and her fangs were no longer bared in malice. The shepherd walked closer to her cautiously, but Red mumbled a low growl, warning him to stay back. Now she really did lunge at The Huntsman, swiftly and cleanly biting him at the heart. The man screamed in pain and started to bleed profusely, and Peter gasped with wide, almost afraid eyes.

"_Shhh_," Red gripped The Huntsman's arm as she shifted forms. "I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to help you – transform you. But you have to pretend that I _am _killing you, alright? You have to pretend that you're dying." At her words, the man screamed again, playing the part. "Thank you," Red smiled at him.

"I…I thought only your leader could – "

"I'm of the alpha bloodline," she explained. "I'm next in line."

"Then do it," he begged, grasping at his bleeding torso. "Do whatever you need to do to change me…" Red nodded, pressed her palms to the man's open wounds, and chanted:

"May you always run free beneath the moon's pale light."

The Huntsman's lesions suddenly illuminated in a perfect, pallid glow before Red and Peter's eyes; soon the bright luminosity spread across his entire body. The man blinked, and his eyes were golden, like Red's were as a wolf. When the light finally faded, a white wolf was laying on the ground where The Huntsman had previously been. Red smiled again, and shifted into wolf form.

_You did it! _The new wolf cried with happiness. _You did it, you did it! I'm a child of the moon! I'm a wolf! Thank you, thank you! _

_Don't mention it, _Red told him. _Seriously. Don't. To my pack, I killed you. You're dead. I changed you, now go – get away from here, and never come back!_

_Yes, _He bowed his head to her and started off. _Thank you, again. Thank you! _And then he was gone – just a flash of white fur across the green and brown backdrop of the woods – hopefully never to be seen by Red or her pack again.

"Red…" Peter mumbled, looking at the gray wolf in front of him. "That was…wow. You're – you're really a…" but he trailed off, got down on his knees so he was eye-level with Red, and moved his almost shaking hand over towards her head. When Red realized what he was going to do, she growled at him, and snapped at his fingers. "Okay, okay," he laughed. "No petting wolves, I got it." Then Red shifted forms again, becoming a human before his eyes. "Wow…" he said again. "You're amazing."

"No, not amazing," she said, getting to her feet. "That's just how I am. Just me."

"Exactly," he said, smiling at her. "You're amazing. Just you is amazing."

"I…I have to go," she said, and started back toward her pack.

"Wait!" Peter called to her. "When can I see you again?"

"I'll try to come back to the village with my sister to see my grandmother as soon as I can," Red told him. "And I'll see you then."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Red trudged back to her territory with her heart feeling a little lighter – she couldn't pinpoint the feeling exactly, but it felt as if all of her confusion, anger, sadness, or any other negative feeling that she had been carrying around with her just seemed to fade away. Then she came across the clearing to where her mother, Raoul, and Quinn were still waiting for her, and Red could have sworn she saw her mother smile when the woman saw the blood around Red's lips and hands.

"You killed him?" Anita asked.

"He's gone," she responded. "And we'll never have to worry about him again." And her mother hugged her.

"You've done well," she said as she embraced her daughter. "I'm so proud of you."

"Good job, Red!" Quinn cheered once Red's mother and her beta started back towards the den. He picked her up in a massive hug so enormous that he nearly knocked her over. "You did great!"

"Th-thanks…" she murmured. However, she didn't feel that she deserved these congratulations, if she had killed The Huntsman or not. By the time she'd made it back to the den with Quinn, her sister had already heard what happened.

"I heard you killed a human today," she said, mustering a meek smile. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Sybil. How's Tala? Quinn told me on the way back that you stayed behind with her because she was sick." Red's sister grew very quiet all of a sudden.

"It…it doesn't look good," she whimpered, looking at the ground. "I'm doing all that I can…but it doesn't look good…"

"Oh, Sibby…" When her sister looked up, Red noticed that Sybil's fair skin was even paler than usual, and her eyes, which were usually a beautiful forest-green, were puffy and bloodshot with dark circles underneath them. "Are…are you alright?" She asked her sister. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine," she said, smiling again. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." And then when she disappeared back into the nursery to be with her sick patient, Red turned and proceeded into her quarters, completely exhausted.


	7. Chapter 7

_May You Always Run Free Beneath The Moon's Pale Light_

Red was already deep into the underbrush when she heard Quinn howl for her. She was already in a stalking position, with her flank nearly brushing the forest ground through the thick shrubbery that she was hiding in. Red closed her golden eyes and tasted the thick air – the scent was unmistakable. A herd of elk was making its way through the woods. Gathering from their individual scents, Red could tell that it was a rather large herd – many cow elk, and probably only one or two bucks as well.

The child of the moon snarled and flashed her fangs in a wolf-ish smirk. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until she smelled the herd approaching. During Wolf's Time, her body functioned very differently – most significantly, she got hungry a lot more frequently, and she would get sudden bursts of energy, calling her to hunt and run. Red dropped her muzzle onto her paws and laid there, waiting. As soon as one of them had their backs turned and let their guard down, she would pounce.

Finally, the herd of elk slowly made their way through the woods, hoofing through the forest together, completely unaware of Red's presence, as she was hidden in the underbrush. The wolf had to dig her claws into the earth to force herself not to act yet – she had to wait until their backs were turned and they were distracted by something else. It was then when Red realized that she felt the eyes of Kurt and Phelan on her – they were two older wolves, friends of her mother's, who often tried to watch over Red when she was only, because of her being next in line to be the leader of the pack. She turned her head and snarled at them lowly, making the message that she wanted to be alone quite clear. Red turned her attention back to the herd of elk gathered ahead of her. By now they were chopping on grass; they were completely ignorant now to Red and her hiding place.

_Now_.

The gray wolf emerged from the underbrush and pounced on the backside of the cow elk that was closet to her. It let out a yowl of pain and bucked forward, kicking Red in the flank and making her fly to the ground onto her back. The rest of the herd ran scared after noticing Red, creating a ruckus. This only made matters easier for the child of the moon, though – she snarled and the elk's eyes blazed with fear, so much so that it lost it's footing while running and rammed into a near by tree. Red seized the chance and went in for the kill, snapping the elk's neck. With one final screech of terror, the game collapsed to the ground at Red's paws. The wolf threw her head back and howled at the moon in victory. For a moment she waited and thought that perhaps she should answer Quinn's earlier call for her and share the kill with him, but she was too hungry and wired now to wait, and dug in.

When she'd had her fill, Red dug a deep circle around the carcass, so she would remember where it was for the next time she got hungry, or so it would be easier for one of her pack-mates to locate if they were out. She padded through the forest until she made it back to the riverbed, and shifted into human form so she could wash her hands and face of blood. The full moon shone brightly and beautifully in the reflective waters of the river, but Red sighed and marred the reflection, scooping her cupped hands through the water, and splashing her face with it.

When she looked back down at the water, after cleaning her face and hands, Red noticed that something else had taken the moon's place in the reflective surface – no, not some_thing_, per say, but some_one_. There on the other side of the riverbed was a woman, not much older than Red herself. She was strikingly beautiful, with hair as black as ebony, lips as red as blood, and skin as white as snow.

"Oh…" the woman exclaimed when she saw Red. "I – I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were – I'm sorry, I'll be going now, I'll be out of your way – "

"Wait…" Red called, lifting the skirt of her dress as she clomped through the river after her. "Wait, don't go. Wh-who are you?"

"I can't tell you who I am," she said, looking suddenly crestfallen. "I…I'm in danger, I've been accused of things I haven't done…I – I just can't tell you who I am…" and again she turned to go, but Red grabbed her arm softly and stopped her for a second time.

"Hey, it's okay," she told the woman. "I get it. It's okay. I just need something to call you."

"Oh…okay," she brightened. "You can call me…Frosty."

"Frosty?" Red tilted her head to one side.

"No, not Frosty," she thought harder. "You can call me Margret. No, no – Mary."

"Alright, Mary," the princess smiled at her. "I'm Red."

"Red?" She asked. "That's a funny name…"

"Well, to me, Mary is a funny name," Red put her hands on her hips. "So that makes us even."

"I suppose so," Mary smiled at her. "I don't mean to be blunt but, I'm suddenly on my own now, and…"

"Yes…?"

"I…I saw you, the other night…with that man, in the forest…it was quite remarkable…"

"Oh," Red stiffened. "You saw that, did you?"

"Yes," said Mary. "And I would never say anything, if you don't want me to."

"Thank you," the child of the moon said. "That means a lot. Why are you out all by yourself, alone in the woods, this late at night?"

"I don't have much of a choice…" Mary's smile curved to a frown. "I don't really have anywhere else to go now…" As she spoke, Red looked down to see a small trickling of blood on the ground beneath them, and it wasn't from her previous hunt.

"Are you bleeding?" She asked, now concerned.

"As I told you," the woman sighed, pulling up her skirt to show a gash on the side of her leg. "I'm in danger. There are many people who want me dead…" Tears were in her eyes now.

"Hey, it's okay," Red took the girl's hand. "Stay here, and I'll be right back. I'm going to get my sister – she's a healer, she can help you. Okay?"

"Okay," said Mary, sitting down by the river as Red turned back in the direction of the den. The child of the moon broke into a run and phased into her wolf-self as she dashed across the forest ground, only changing back once she reached the den.

"Sybil?" Red called as she poked her head into the nursery, hoping to find her sister there. She was indeed there, but looked completely dejected; she sat in the chair in the corner of the room, her face completely expressionless, but her heart completely broken. "Are…are you alright?"

"Oh, Red…" her voice broke. "The pup's dead, Red, she's dead!" She closed her eyes so she wouldn't cry. "I…I treated her as best as I could, but it spread through her little body so quickly…then the seizures started, and – " then her sister broke off into a coughing fit, and it took her many quick, sharp breathes to catch her breath again.

"Sybil, Sybil what's wrong?" Red asked, holding onto her sister now. "Are you ill?"

"I'm fine," she said, getting up. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine…I – I'll be fine…" but she had to grip onto Red with a freezing yet sweaty hand to steady herself, and grasped at her chest with the other as she struggled yet again to catch her breath.

"Mowgli!" Red called into the den, getting the young wolf to run to the scene. "What's wrong with her? What can I do?"

"Red, really I'm f – "

" – Sybil, you are _not fine_!" Red interrupted her, and turned back to the young wolf who her sister had briefly started training. "What can I do?" She repeated, and wordlessly Mowgli laid the younger princess down.

"Get some violets and hollow nettles from storage," he told her, and Red did as she was told. "Now I have to ask you to leave. You can't be in here, the disease is only passed on to others by direct inhalation – "

" – _Disease_?" Red demanded. "What _disease_?" And the young wolf's face suddenly looked very grave.

"Violet Fever."


	8. Chapter 8

_May You Always Run Free Beneath The Moon's Pale Light_

"I'm not leaving her!" Red cried as Quinn held her back. "Please, Quinn, let me go! I need to be with her!" She yelled striking his chest repeatedly. "I need to be with her!"

"I can't let you go Red," but it pained him to see her this desolate. "You can't be in there with her. None of us can. We just have to have faith that – "

" – That _what_? She'll treat _herself_? Or otherwise be in the paws of scarcely-trained _pup_?" By this time, Red was hysterical. "We just have to have faith that _what_, Quinn?"

"Just tell me what you need me to do for you," he said, his voice low, trying to remain stable for her.

"Look the other way," she was begging now. "_Please_."

"I can't…" Quinn didn't dare look her in the eyes. "I'm not like you, Red, I don't want to disobey…"

"You don't get it, do you?" Red sneered at him. "You've _never _got it! I don't want to _disobey_…Quinn, I'm an alpha. I _don't_ want to _obey_." He finally looked at her. "_Please_," she repeated. "Look the other way. Let me go, Quinn, let me go…" And then he released her from his grasp, knowing that there was nothing more he could do to keep her held onto – she wasn't his to hold.

"Just tell me what you need me to do for you," he repeated himself, this time prepared for any answer she would give. With a sigh, Red answered him:

"There is a woman – a human – that I left by the river."

"Do you want me to run her out of the forest or snap her neck?"

"Neither!" Red jeered, then continued: "her name is Mary. She's been wounded, so take her some cobweb to stop the bleeding and lead her to the village. Tell her to ask for Widow Lucas when she gets there. And tell her I'm sorry, but something's come up."

"Red…" He locked eyes with her again as she got up to leave. "You're different, you know – I mean, different than everyone else. You see things differently, you want to change things – make them better. You really are an alpha, Red."

And with that, he left, simply because Red had told him to, and deep down in his heart, for her he would do anything. She ran to her sister's side, though many wolves along the way tried to stop her, and knelt down beside her. Mowgli looked at her as if he wasn't sure if he should tell her to leave again or not, but something about Red's manner made him decide against it.

"It's gonna be okay, Sybil," Red told her sister, grabbing her hand. "It's gonna be – "

" – Red," her sister interrupted. "It's already spread to my lungs. At this rate…"

"Don't talk that way," she murmured. "If the violets don't work we'll try something stronger. You've got herbs with magical properties, don't you?"

"It doesn't matter. The sickness starts so abruptly and mauls through the body so quickly. There isn't time for them to break down and kill off the disease – "

"But there must be _something_ I can do!" Red was in tears again. "_Anything_! You can't just give up now, Sybil, please – let me protect you, let me find a way…"

"Unless you know of something that can nullify the Fever faster than violets, I'm afraid there is no way," said the healer, the light in her eyes slowly fading. "But don't cry, Red, please don't cry. I want you to promise me something, okay?"

Red nodded somberly, and Sybil continued:

"Promise me you'll try not to fight with Mother so much. You're so different, I know, but I wish you could _try_ to see eye-to-eye. Promise me you won't settle for Quinn. I was wrong to ever advice you otherwise. Even if it is for the good of the pack, you should never sell yourself short of love, whatever form it may be in. And promise me you'll at least give our grandmother a chance. She's our family, Red, and she at least deserves a fair chance. Okay? Can you promise me those things?"

"I promise, Sybil," she pledged through her tears. "But you have to promise me something, too. Promise me you won't just give up. That's not like you, Sybil – it's not what you'd do with any other patient, so why would you do it to yourself?"

"Red…" she took a long, aching breath. "When the seizures start – "

" – It won't get to that point," Red said, getting to her feet. "I'm going to find a way, Sybil. Please just promise me you won't give up." Then she squeezed her sister's hand and left, shifting forms and running as fast as her four legs could carry her towards the village. Once there, she changed back and whipped her eyes of stray tears as she banged on the cabin door.

"I need your help!" Red exclaimed as her grandmother let her in. "Please. You said you knew how to suppress the wolf…my sister is dying from a sickness that effects our people. If she could subdue that part of her, if only for a little while, I might be able to find a way to…" but Red trailed off. She knew her sister's disease could not be cured. Without another word, she hugged her grandmother for a long beat, and continued: "She can't be cured. But if she could suppress the wolf as you have, there may be hope for her. _Please_," she begged. "_Please _help me, she hasn't much time…"

"Give me a moment," said the woman. "I may have something that can help." And as she disappeared into the back room, Mary, whom now had cobweb pressed to her wounded leg, walked out to greet the princess.

"Your friend Quinn brought me here," she said. "This woman, who she is? Is she a friend or foe?"

"A friend," Red told her. "She's my…well, you can call her…"

"Granny," said the woman, reappearing with something in her hands. "You can call me Granny. Both of you."

At this response, Mary smiled, and her smile made Red smile in turn – it was so perfectly charming, her smile, that it made Red feel, if only for just a moment, that her whole world was _not _crumbling around her. It was an honest, benevolent, gentle smile – much like the one that Red saw spread across her sister's face everyday. She would miss that smile more than anything in the world…

And she would do anything to protect it.

"This," Granny started, handing to Red the velvety, red cape that she was previously carrying. "Is an enchanted cloak. A wizard cast a charm on it for me, long ago. It was intended for your mother, before she left. When a child of the moon wears it, their wolf-self will be completely suppressed – as if they were only a human. Do you think this will help, Little Red?"

"Yes," Red answered, letting out a huge sigh of relief. "_Thank you_! I'll return as soon as I can…_thank you_!" And with that, a gray wolf ran through the night with a red cloak dragging from her jaws, howling at the moon all the way back home.

"Sybil…" she murmured, walking back in with the cloak slung over her arm. Her sister was awake, but barely. "Put this on. It's magic. It'll help you." She draped it over the girl's pale body, and she took in a sharp, deep breath as the color suddenly started to return to her face.

"Red…" Sybil started. "What…what is…?"

"Our grandmother – Granny – gave it to me. It suppresses the wearer's wolf-self completely, as in, no wolf-self, no wolf-only diseases. This should buy us some time. What magical herbs are in here?" She asked as she turned to Sybil's storage of all of her remedies. "What can I give you?"

"There are…" she thought for a moment, still somewhat dazed, and continued: "there are six pomegranate seeds in the back – I couldn't use them before, to help Tala, because it wasn't Wolf's Time yet. Their magical properties only activate when exposed to great power, like the moonlight. Then they should glow a bright red…" but they didn't need to be exposed to anything but the princess's hand, because as she gathered the six seeds in her open palm, the glowed just as her sister had said.

"These?" Red asked, showing them to her.

"Yes, those," Sybil responded, and started to take the cloak off.

"Wait," Red grabbed her shoulder with her free hand to stop her. "What are you doing?"

"I can't be cured of a disease that isn't affecting me," her sister said, and slipped off the red cloak.

The color again drained from her face and she had to grab onto Red to keep from collapsing to the ground. The elder sister passed her the six pomegranate seeds and she swallowed the handful. For a moment, it was as if nothing had happened – nothing changed. But then Sybil's eyes started to regain their usual green color, and her strength started to slowly return to her. Once the healer could, she threw her arms around her sister, wordlessly but eternally grateful.

"You saved me, Red," she moaned after a long beat of silence.

"No," Red said. "You saved yourself. All I did was protect you." They hugged once again. "Now rest. You need to rest while your body heals. And keep that cloak near by, in case you need it." And as she turned to go, she added: "I love you, Sybil. And I'll always protect you." Then there was only one thing left to do.

"Where were you?" Red asked her mother, approaching her. "Where were you today, because you certainly weren't where you should have been." But her tone, this time, was not rash or unreasonable – it was level and steadily sound.

"What are you getting at?" Anita turned around to face her.

"My sister was dying today," she said in a low voice. "And she could easily have died, too, if it wasn't for your mother." Anita's mouth hung open but she said nothing, so Red continued: "She gave me a cloak that a wizard enchanted to – "

" – She…she _gave you_…_that_?" Her mother interrupted. "But I told her to burn it! I…I told her to…" and she trailed off, lost in her own memories.

"Mother," Red called her back to attention calmly. "Is it because you couldn't bear the thought of it? Of loosing her?" Her mother was silent for what felt like forever before she responded:

"_Yes_…" her voice almost broke – _almost_. Anita would die before she let someone of her pack, especially one of her daughters, view her as weak. "After your father, Red…and after my father…" Then she went silent again. "I love your grandmother, Red, don't think that I don't," the leader started again. "I do love you. She's my mother, she raised me. But she couldn't expect what I – what _we _were. She never has. I didn't want that for you. I _don't _want that for you…" Once again she stopped herself, and took Red into her arms. There was silence again, until: "Sybil is…she's going to be fine?"

"It looks like it, yes," Red felt relieved to say the words aloud.

"I'm going to go see her," Anita said with a nod, and turned to go, but retreated back and hugged Red all over again. "I love you, Red," she said, and then left as she said she would.

And then, Red was alone, with so many thoughts swirling inside her head of who she was, and who she could be – thoughts of the moon, of her pack, of her mother, and of Quinn; thoughts of the village, of her sister, of Mary, of Peter and of Granny. And suddenly, she knew only one thing: there were two paths in front of her, two ways that she could go – and she was, for the first time in her life, all but hopelessly lost.


	9. Chapter 9

_May You Always Run Free Beneath The Moon's Pale Light_

The gray wolf was basking in the tall grass, looking up at the bright full moon above her, through the hazy drizzling of white snowflakes from the dark, night sky. Red tilted her furry head and let out a huff. Yet again, Wolf's Time would be over soon – but for the first time, she wondered if perhaps that was such a bad thing. It was then when her mind drifted to warming thoughts of Peter, as it so often did. Like a phantom, thoughts of the shepherd boy had danced in her head since the night that he saw her on the outskirts of the village, the night that she transformed The Huntsman. He had seen her as a wolf, and he was not afraid. In Red's eyes, this was remarkable. Humans were supposed to fear them, want to hunt and kill them – but Peter didn't. Mary didn't. Granny didn't.

Red got up from her spot and shook her gray pelt, as if shaking herself would shake this feeling inside her. _I have to snap out of this_, she thought. _Humans are evil. I've always been told that, I've always known that. Where humans go, death follows. _She started off cantering through the forest and then broke into a full-on sprint without even realizing it. _They killed my father_, she continued on, thinking to herself. _They're all evil. All of them. They killed my father, and they'd kill any of us if they had the chance. They're evil. I've always known that. They're all evil…aren't they?_

The child of the moon only slowed when she saw her sister out of the corner of her golden eye. Sybil was sitting cross-legged under Red's favorite sycamore tree, gazing up at the sky, just as her sister previously had done. The princess pranced over to her sister, and laid her head in the girl's human-form lap. The healer giggled and Red tackled her sister onto her back, licking her cheek.

"Red!" Her sister called out, laughing. "Stop it!" The wolf licked her one more time behind the ear, and switched forms. She rolled over onto the ground, laughing.

"If you're feeling up to it, we could go running along the river – if it isn't too cold we could jump in!" Red prodded Sybil's arm, but her sister was again sitting cross-legged and still, with her green eyes closed. "Or we could go hunting – take down a sheep or two…" but the healer wasn't listening. "Sybil, what are you doing?"

"I'm meditating," she responded, peeking an eye open and taking a deep breath.

"Meditating?" Red snorted. "Why?"

"I just have a lot of things on my mind right now. And this helps." She closed her eye again and deeply breathed in and out.

"Helps with what?"

"Helps with gathering a sense of enlightenment," the younger girl answered, and after a moment, she breathed out and opened her eyes again. "Maybe you should try it." Red had to admit that she _was _tempted, but shrugged it off as something for another day – she couldn't focus now, the moon was calling her.

"Maybe someday," she said. "But not now. Let's go! C'mon – let's go! Let's just run! Let's do something! _Anything_!"

"You're so wired…" Sybil shook her head, laughing. "Calm down. Wolf's Time is a gift, not just something you can use to run free."

"But that's what Wolf's Time's all about," Red protested. "Running free beneath the moon's pale light. You haven't done much of that lately, Sybil, you need to get out there, into the forest, with the moon beaming down on your fur. C'mon," she grabbed her sister's arm. "We're going on an adventure, like we used to when we were pups and the territory seemed to stretch on forever."

"Fine," the healer agreed. "But we're doing it my way. Follow me." Before her sister's eyes, the girl was a light gray wolf, and Red followed suit in shifting forms.

_Alright! C'mon, let's go this –_

_ Wait, _Sybil told her. _I told you – we're doing this my way. _

Red expected her sister to take off at full speed, just as she or any other member of her pack would, but Sybil tasted the air, closed her eyes, and started slowly trotting her way through the timberland. The elder sister raced ahead of the healer at one point, and nipped at her ear.

_What are you trying to do here – go on a nature walk? _She mocked her sister._ We're wasting moonlight this way. There's so much more we could be doing!_

_ Haste is no substitute for diligence, Red._ Sybil bayed, sitting back on her haunches. _Now look. _The princess obeyed, taking in their surroundings. Her sister had led them to the riverbed.

_What's so different about it? _Red questioned. _It's just the river. But tell me, oh wise-one, what the point of this is? _Her sister shifted forms before responding, her small yowl turning into a giggle.

"I've come here a lot recently," she said, as Red changed into human form, and sat down next to her sister. "Like I said, I've had a lot on my mind. And you know what they say about rivers – you can never step into the same one twice…" Sybil rose and inched up her skirt, then drifted slowly towards the river and dipped one foot into the cool water. "The river's always flowing, always changing – but that's what makes it so special. The river's different every time you step into it, but still, it's the same river. Made up of different flowing waters, but still one river, different components forming one mystic thing. Beautiful."

"What's gotten into you?" Red mumbled, walking to her sister's side. "You're all philosophical tonight…"

"I lied to you."

"What?"

"I lied to you," Sybil repeated. "Or…I left out the whole truth. I'm sorry."

"What are talking about?" Red asked softly, kneeling down beside her.

"The pomegranate seeds," she said slowly. "Though their magic gives life, it takes it away just as suddenly."

Red froze.

"Look, Red," Sybil continued. "Look at them all, up there…"

"The…snowflakes?"

"The stars. Look at them Red. All of them up there, they are wolves, running free beneath the moon's pale light. Lighting the sky for us, giving us guidance – looking down on us…" she trailed off, dipping her other foot into the river as well. "And look at that," she continued, her green eyes drifting down to the rippling water. "There – you can see them in the river too, Red. Our reflections…" Red peered into the water, her reflection joining her sister's in the clear-blue mirror of the river.

"Sybil, you aren't making sense…" Red started. "Please…what are you trying to say?"

"You're hearing me with your ears, Red," was the healer's reply. "Not with your heart."

"My heart…"

The cold, winter wind picked up off of the water, as if it were singing or sighing around them – Red wasn't sure which.

"Y-you aren't making sense…" the princess continued. "N-nothing makes sense!"

"It will," Sybil told her. "As long as you learn to listen."

And Red's sister did not awake the next morning.


	10. Chapter 10

_May You Always Run Free Beneath The Moon's Pale Light_

"But who _was _she?"

Red was sitting alone with her knees hugged to her chest when she heard one of the young pups squeak this question to Mowgli, the pack's new healer. He had given them all a thorough check-up to be sure that the awful disease that their sister Tala had died from had not spread to any of them – they were all clear. The two remaining pups of Waya and Raoul's second litter were lined up outside of the nursery now, both little boys garbed in black, just as every other pack member was. Caleb and Edon, though only pups, were not deaf – pups, some said, indeed had the strongest ears as they listened to everyone and everything – and heard throughout the morning the whispers from their pack-mates about some young woman, some young princess, who was now dead. And as they thought about it, the brothers faintly remembered the soft scent of a young woman who had cared for them, holding them in her arms, or singing them to sleep.

"She was…" the question took the new healer by surprise. "She was a beautiful person, inside and out," he answered. "The sweetest spirit in this pack is gone."

His words made Red grip herself tighter. She had never felt so alone in her entire life. The princess had no words for this feeling – this feeling that she thought could not be a _feeling _at all. Because, Red felt nothing. She felt so much sadness and so much agony; so much anguish and pain, that all of this black horribleness gripped her like ghastly talons around her heart, so much so that she felt completely detached from her own life and from the world around her, as if she were made of some sort of deep, black ice, watching the world from a frozen prison.

It was Red who found her sister's body.

"Sybil…" the girl peeked tiptoed to her sister's bedside, and rubbed her arm to wake her up. "Sybil, c'mon – it's dawn. It's a new day, time to get up and face it." But the healer did not stir or fawn open her eyes. "Sybil…" and Red's mouth went dry, and her body quivered, as she realized that her sister would not be waking up. "You didn't make any sense last night – is this why you didn't make sense? Was it the disease? Was it making you delusional? Is _that _it?"

Tears streamed down the princess's face. Her heart had been ripped out.

"I-if you knew that the magic only gave you a burst of life, why wouldn't you just keep the cloak on?" Red demanded to her sister's corpse, scouring the floor for the red hood that their grandmother had given them. Finally, she found it, and gripped the red fabric tightly, angrily, in her hands.

"It could have kept you alive!" She continued, screaming now. "You couldn't have just lived as a human? You'd rather have died? But…you were so _human_, Sybil, the most human of all of us…" she trailed off, her words unable to completely form as she gasped short breathes, only small whimpering sounds escaping her lips as she cried, holding Sybil's lifeless corpse in her arms.

"You're gone," she finally murmured. "You're gone. I couldn't protect you."

And now Red was sitting alone in her quarters, holding herself close, thinking maybe if she held her whole body as one holds an open wound, then maybe the all the paralyzing pain that consumed her whole being would lessen. It didn't make any sense to her at all – her sister was nothing like her mother, when it came to their feelings on humans. Anita was one extreme, ready to kill any human that crossed their path, and Sybil was the other, willing to care for a human no differently than she would a wolf. Sybil was different, Red thought. She didn't follow the path of the wolf that was laid out in front of them since birth; The younger princess had a different kind of heart inside of her, one full of compassion and kindness and wisdom beyond her years. She wasn't rash and didn't act on instinct like Anita was or Red could sometimes be, Sybil was thoughtful, but retained the strength of her wolf – if not physically, then mentally. It was now that Red felt yet again as if she were a rope in some sort of tug-of-war, with humanity on one side and her wolf-ness on the other. She wasn't like her sister, who was the most human, but she wasn't like her mother either, who was the most wolf-like.

But why wouldn't Sybil be satisfied with living her life as a human, guarded by the magic of the red cloak? She could have lived on, but she chose not too. She chose not to live as a human – did she really hate humans that much that she could not bring herself to live as one? No, that wasn't who Sybil was. Sybil loved all creatures, human or wolf, or anything else in between…

"Red?" Quinn called, breaking the princess out of her thoughts. He rushed to her side yet again – the boy had been coming to her again and again, trying to help. "Hey," he continued, kneeling down next to her. "Do you need – ? "

"Go away, Quinn," Red whimpered, not looking at him. It wasn't meant to be disdainful, but anyone but Quinn would have perceived it that way. "Please just go away. I want to be alone." And once again, the warrior turned to leave without a word. "Wait," she added, making him turn back. "H-have you seen my mother?"

"No," Quinn told her. "I'm sorry."

"She needs to be alone, too," Red said, mostly to herself. "If she stayed around here, no one would leave her alone. She's probably taking down trees with her bare hands right now. Tomorrow morning, I'm sure there'll be a body count at the edge of the village. That's how she grieves, she needs to destroy the problem – but there's nothing she can pin as the problem, so she just needs to _destroy_."

"What about you?" Quinn asked.

"I…" Red was about to answer, to tell him that she intended to ravage any human she saw, but then she thought out Granny, and Peter, and Mary, and had to reconsider. "I don't know. I really just don't know."

"You're stronger than I am."

"What?" The girl asked. "That's not true, you're the strongest wolf in the pack."

"No, I mean, you're _stronger _than I am. I'd be out there with your mother right now if I were you. And beneath the moon tonight, I'd kill anything that crossed my path. But you're not like that. You're stronger than that."

Quinn kissed her on the forehead, and Red was again alone.

That night, Red found herself padding through the timberland, scraping her paws into the earth with every step. This wasn't a blow she had to the land out of anger, but a soft action made just so she could verify that this whole experience was not a nightmare. If she could touch the ground and feel the dirt in her paws, then the ability to actually _feel _was not gone. And though it seemed as if she felt nothing at all, Red indeed felt _everything _all at once – grief, sadness, pain, agony, regret, confusion, heartache. She passed the river and dared to look into it, seeing the reflection of the stars and full moon above her. It was then when Red shifted forms, and stared for a moment – then, she splashed the water, and started to cry.

"Different components forming one mystic thing," she whimpered through tears. "Like you, right Sybil? Like us…" And she looked up at the stars, her eyes drawn to a particular one, shining brightly down on her. "Looking down on me, are you? Why didn't you stay with me? You could've stayed with me! You should've stayed with me! Why did you leave me, Sybil, _why did you leave me alone_?"

And she ran, and kept on running, until she reached the village and realized just how far she had gone. Red shifted into her human form yet again, and, though something in her told her not to, to keep running and howling and taking out whatever was in her way, she crept into the village and found her grandmother's cabin.

"Red," it was Mary who was opened the door. "Oh, Red, are you alright?"

"My sister died," she said. "She's gone. I promised I would always protect her. But she's gone," she was crying again. "She's gone, Mary, she's _gone_!" The woman whom she knew as Mary hugged her, and simply held her while she cried.

"Oh, Red, _shhh_…" she cooed. "I know how hard it is to loose your family. When my mother died, I wanted to die too. I know how it feels to feel so much, that you feel nothing at all. It's going to be okay. I know it doesn't feel that way now, but it _will be okay_."

"You promise?"

"Yes, Red, I promise."

"She could have lived, Mary…" she continued. "That hood Granny gave me…she could have kept wearing it and lived. Why would she let herself die?"

"I didn't know your sister, but from what you and your grandmother have told me, she seemed to be very balanced."

"Balanced?"

"Balanced in your two worlds, I mean," Mary told her. "It's not that she _didn't _want to live as one part of what you are, but she couldn't live if she wasn't _both_. Because that's what you are, Red. You aren't one or the other. You are _both_."


	11. Chapter 11

_May You Always Run Free Beneath The Moon's Pale Light_

Red awoke the following morning with the familiar, delicious aftertaste of warm blood still lingering in her mouth. At first, she nearly smiled – blood was nothing unusual for a wolf, in fact, it was all but a specialty. And though her stomach rumbled again due to her wolf-enhanced hunger as she fawned from sleep into consciousness, Red remembered the good kill she'd made the night before with pride. The child of the moon, in her wolf form, had taken out a few sheep rather easily, hardly even having to strain herself. She truly did smile, then, when she thought that she'd tell Sybil all about it, and they'd hunt there again tonight. But as she sat up and her eyes blinked open, Red's smile curved into a frown – she couldn't tell Sybil anything anymore, she remembered. Sybil was gone now. Red shuttered and nearly started to cry, but quickly blinked to hold back tears. Her sister was _gone. _They would never run or hunt or venture into the forest together again. They'd never do _anything _together again. This fact was laid out in front of Red's nose now, as if she were made cognizant of it all over again. It felt like a sliver-tipped arrow had struck her in the heart.

It was then that she was able to call this emotion _grief_. This was not something that a wolf felt, Red told herself. Wolves acted on instinct; lived free in the moment with nothing holding them back. This heaviness inside of her was a human trait – one she would not wish on anyone. All Red wanted to do now was shake this feeling out of herself, to transform into the wolf and run away from it all. But she couldn't do that. Not just because it was now morning, but because Red knew that, no matter how much she wanted to run free of her problems, she simply _couldn't_. She had to face them, with as much humanly dignity and wolfish strength as she could.

_It's what Sybil would do_, Red told herself. _And it's what I must do._

Suddenly, Red realized where she had been sleeping all that time. She hadn't been perched high up, lying across a sturdy tree branch, or even under the shade of a small, stone mesa arch. She did not feel the soft caress of the morning's dew-strung grass, nor did she feel the earthy mesh of rocky dirt beneath her. No – Red looked around, and become conscious, immediately now, of where she was: she had been lying across the small sofa in her grandmother's cabin.

Red's first thoughts, upon this notion coming to light, were a quick chaos of muddled curse words. Then, the question 'how could I be so careless?' started running through her mind. Had she fallen asleep here last night? She remembered going to see Mary, and they had stayed up talking all through the night. Red had only left to hunt, and returned once she'd had her fill, and then… Yes, Red realized, once she thought about it – she _had _fallen asleep here the night before, whispering stories to her friend all through the night. But what would her mother say when she came home today? She would have been in trouble only for staying out all night long, but she would be in the most trouble that she had ever fallen into because of the scent that now must have clung to her – the scent of humans. Red had spoken to her mother before about her grandmother recently, but now Anita would have sure confirmation that these visits with Granny had continued. And she _wouldn't _be happy about it.

But where was Granny now? As Red stirred and got up from the sofa, she wandered through the little cabin, but both Mary and Granny were gone. That was odd, she thought, although she did not know their daily routines. Perhaps this was normal for them, as staying inside during the day was normal for her. Red left them a note explaining that she had gone home, and walked out of the cottage, closing the door behind her. As she started to walk through the village as quickly as she could to leave the human-filled place undetected, Red saw her grandmother and Mary out of the corner of her eye, gathered with some other humans around them. Part of her wanted to go see what was wrong, but she knew that the other humans present would not recognize her and would be quick to ask questions, so she decided on running the other way.

"Hey! Red! Hey, Red, wait up!" It was Peter's voice, who must have noticed the child of the moon as she snuck behind the crowd, calling out as he ran after her. "Wait up!" He repeated, finally catching her. "What's the rush?"

"N-nothing," she answered as she turned around to face him. "What…what's going on over there?"

"There seems to have been an animal attack last night," he explained. "It killed some hunters who were on the outskirts of the village. And this morning when I went out to the fields with Joey, we found the remains of three sheep that were slaughtered."

"Oh…" her eyes grew wide and she covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, Peter…if I had realized…I didn't know that…I'm so sorry…"

"What is it?"

"It was me."

"The _killings_?"

"The _slaughterings_! If I'd known those were _your _sheep I would have never – "

" – _Red_," he stopped her. "I've just told you that men have been murdered, and you're apologizing for eating a couple of sheep?"

"I'm so sorry!" She continued. "I know they're important to you – oh, and little Joseph had to see their mangled, bloody carcasses! I'm sorry, Peter, I'm so – "

" – Red," he interrupted yet again. "It's okay. Really. It's okay; it's only three sheep."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"I…I have to go," she said, and started to scamper away.

"Wait!" He called after her, and Red turned around again to face the shepherd. "Come back as soon as you can. Come back _tonight_. I…I want to see you again. I want to show you something."

"Okay," Red nodded to him, even though everything told her to say 'no'. "I'll try to come here during the night, while everyone's still out. No one should suspect anything then."

"I'll wait for you in the fields."

"I'll be there." And then Red left the village, walking into the forest alone.

It was strange for Red to walk so far in human form, and during the day. The village was fairly far off from her pack's den territory, and she had to walk for miles through the forest at human-speed – this would have been annoying for Red anyway, but now as she went she thought of the night prior; of her conversations with Mary. The woman had told her all about her mother – as Red had cried and cried about Sybil – and how she stayed by her side as she died from a strange sickness that even the doctors could not diagnose. She told her how her father had married a woman who was kind, but overtime the darkness that festered inside of her had grown so deep that it overshadowed and took over her. And she explained that her father had been murdered in his sleep one night – the girl had later discovered that this was her stepmother's doing.

"But she isn't wicked," Mary had said about her stepmother. "I know she isn't. At least, not completely. She wasn't born wicked. But wickedness has been thrust upon her. There's still good in her. She just can't see it…"

"Mary," Red started. "Is that why you're running? She killed your father – are you afraid she may go after you next?"

"I'm not afraid of it. I know she would if given the chance," the young woman answered. "So I'm hiding." She looked for wistful with her last three words, so Red squeezed her hand for comfort.

"But you'll return home some day," the princess smiled at the run-away. "I'm sure of it. If it'll make you feel better, why don't you tell me about the home you left behind."

"Well…" she started. "It isn't the same as it once was, when my mother and father were both alive. But I lived with my stepmother for many years – she'll come around to being herself again, I know she will. There was a time when everything seemed _good_, at least to me. I'm going to return my land to that time." She smiled then, and tears formed in Red's eyes – Mary's good-heartedness reminded her so much of Sybil, and right now, it hurt to think of her sister. As Red continued walking, thoughts of her sister flooded her mind, as they had since her death, and the child of moon felt like her heart was crumbling into pieces more and more with each memory. Soon, she crossed to the other side of the stream, and was met by the familiar scents of some of her pack-mates – contemporaries of her and Quinn's, Maugrim, Balto, Renier, and Rafe.

"Jeez, Red, you _stink_!" One of them yowled as the group of male wolves approached her. Out of the trees dashed Vivian, who was also her peer, rushing to Maugrim's side. It was no secret that they would be each other's mates some day, as the two were constantly hanging off each other.

"What'd you do last night, roll around in manure or something?" Maugrim laughed hardily and his cohorts snickered around him.

"No, she smells _worse _than manure!" Rafe added, giving Red a shove.

"_Nasty_," Balto continued.

"It's strange," Renier jeered. "You smell of _humans_, Red!"

"Yeah, _princess_," Vivian joined in, in a prissy voice – she had been jealous of Red and Sybil since they were very young. "Where _were _you?" She circled Red and the princess snarled at her, both girls' eyes flashing into golden wolf-eyes.

"That's none of your business," Red narrowed her now golden eyes. "Unless it's your obligation to know the whereabouts of all pack members at any given time, Vivian – oh, wait…that'll be _my _obligation one day." The other girl gasped, and the four boys hooted at Red's remark.

"Oh," the other girl finally recoiled, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm _so sorry_, Red. Why don't you go run home to your sister? Oh, wait – you _can't_, can you? Because _she's dead_!"

That was when Red punched her across the face, sending Vivian tumbling to the ground.

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" The boys chanted.

Red, by this time, had climbed on top of the other girl, whose back was flat against the ground, and hands trying to protect her face. Red kept throwing punches at her in a rage, hitting her so hard that the girl was already bruised and bleeding.

"Do you have anything else to say?" She growled as she pinned Vivian down between punches. "Ready to apologize?"

"You think you're so strong, don't you, _your highness_?" She yelled. "But you're _not_! You're _weak_! You're nothing but a _human-lover_! You're weak, your mother's weak, and your sister _was weak_ – so _weak _that she's _dead_! And you think you're so _big and bad _– _you couldn't save her_!"

Red lost it. Every ounce of practical thinking or logic or mercy flew out of her brain. Though she was in human-form, she had lost the ability to think rationally or act on anything other than instinct – and now, her instinct has screaming '_destroy that wretch_'. She punched the girl over and over, even harder now, poised to break her jaw, or worse.

"Hey, hey – break it up, you two! Get off of her, Red!" It was Raoul's voice; his morning patrol usually crossed this area, and he must have seen or heard the commotion. Red didn't listen.

"Red!" It was Quinn's voice now, and the girl felt his arms grab her from behind, trying to pull her off of the screaming Vivian. "Red, knock it off! This isn't you!" Finally he was successful in prying the princess off of the now bleeding she-wolf, who, upon getting back to her feet, ran with the four boys back in the direction of the den.

"She's crazy!" She yelled as they ran for it. "She could have killed me! She's crazy!" Meanwhile Red was being held back by both Quinn and Raoul, while Kurt, Phelan, and Waya, the other wolves on the patrol, simply starred at the scene. The princess struggled against their weight, until she finally took a deep breath and semi-composed herself.

"She called me weak," Red's voice quivered. "She…she called _Sybil_ weak…I couldn't save her…" she was talking more to herself now. "I couldn't save her…I _am _weak. I _am weak_! _I couldn't save her_!"

And Red fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face, completely paralyzed with grief.


	12. Chapter 12

_May You Always Run Free Beneath The Moon's Pale Light_

The last thing on earth that Red wanted to do was go home. She couldn't even image what her mother's reaction would be – the leader was already in a grief-fueled rage because of Sybil's passing, but now she would be able to clearly smell that Red had been around humans the night before, not to mention the commotion she had just caused by getting into a fight with Vivian. If Red had clashed with anyone but a pack-mate, her mother would have been pleased. But one of the pack's higher rules was to never turn on your pack-mates: they were their wolf brothers and sisters, and should be treated as such. Not only did Red break one of the pack's higher rules, but she also broke the _highest _rule, and all within the timespan of one night and the morning after. She was in for more than just a scolding, Red realized; she was going to get chastised – put on probation, not allowed to leave the den at all. The worst-case scenario would be banishment, and Red's stomach twisted at the thought of it. But surely her mother wouldn't _banish _her – expel her from the pack forever, to live the rest of her life in the forest in solitude as a lone wolf – would she?

Red slapped at the ground she was still knelt down on with an open palm. All she wanted to do in this moment was become the wolf and run through the timberland, making the wilderness burn with her ire and agony, but she couldn't, as it was still day and the moon was not full and shining, providing her the ability to shift forms. She was so _angry_,right now – angry at Vivian, angry at the world…angry at _Sybil_. She was so, _so angry _at Sybil for dying. It was strange, as Red knew that her sister's death was not entirely her fault – there was no way that she could have controlled whether she caught her patient's sickness or not – but she could have kept the cloak on. This fact stayed in Red's mind, stinging her like a wasp. She could have kept the hood on, living the rest of her days as only a human. But it wasn't that the younger princess would rather have chosen death over human life – she chose death over not being able to live as _both _wolf _and _human. And _that _is what Red could not yet decipher.

_Both _wolf _and _human.

'_Because that's what you are, Red.' _Mary's words echoed in her head. '_You aren't one or the other. You are _both'.

Red shook her head as she slumped home, as slowly as she could. Maybe Mary believed that, but Anita definitely would not. The princess had always thought of her mother as the perfect leader – strong and skilled in battle, but fair and practical, too – but since Red's introduction to the human world, she had started to see that perhaps her mother was not as fair or practical as she had once dubbed her. _She's all wolf_. _That's it. _Only _wolf. And I'm gonna get the claws… _Red thought, as she brushed through the trees that kept the pack's den out the sight of any haphazard or unfriendly passersby. _That's who is she is. All wolf, and no human_. _Not at all like Sybil. Sybil was more _human_ than wolf_…_then, where does that leave me?_

When Red finally entered the den, she found that Maugrim, Renier, Balto and Rafe were already there, waiting for her.

"Ya' know," Maugrim started as the four boys approached her, menacingly. "Mowgli said Viv's jaw is dislocated. And the herbs he's going to give her to fix it are going to put her in a lot of pain. We don't like when _she-wolves_ put my girl in _pain_."

"He's right," Balto added, as the boys encircled her. "We_ don't_."

"Hey, guys, I've got an idea!" Renier snarled, as Rafe threw his head back in mock-laughter. "Why don't we even the score, huh? Why don't we teach the _she-wolf _a lesson? One she'll never forget!"

"An eye for an eye," Rafe continued. "Or, in this case, a punch for a punch."

"Or ten!"

"Or _twenty_!"

"Leave me alone!" Red growled, with her lip curled at them. "And you _know _you wouldn't _dare _fight _me_! There are – what? – _four _of you. _Four _of you, what's that to me? There's oneof _me_. That doesn't seem fair, does it? No – why don't you enlist some others to help you? I know you couldn't take me down, not if I closed my eyes and tied one claw behind my back. And you call me a _she-wolf_, do you? Is that supposed to insult me? Let me remind you that it is a she-wolf that you're defending, a she-wolf that's the leader of your pack, and a she-wolf who'll take her place one day. Now _leave_ – _go, get out of here _– before I _claw your faces off_!"

"Tough talk," Maugrim sneered. "Let's see if you can put your fists where your mouth is!" Red let out a breath, and prepared to fight them.

"Come and get me!"

" – You get away from her!" Quinn, who had ran to the scene upon hearing the affray, stepped in front of Red. "You wanna get to Red, you're going to have to go through me!" The four boys looked at each other now – though Red was stronger than all of them combined, they would never _admit _to being weaker than a girl – but Quinn was without a doubt the strongest male in the pack. There was no way they could come out on top if they fought him.

"Quinn," Red pivoted to be able to look at him. "Stay out of this. This is my problem, not yours. You'll only get yourself in trouble – "

" – Hey," he said quietly, stopped her short. "If it's your problem, then it's my problem." By this time, Rafe and Balto had already scrambled away, leaving Maugrim eye-to-eye with Quinn, and Renier off to his side, trying to get him to stand down as well.

"It's not worth it, man…" Renier whimpered. Maugrim shuffled backwards so he could lock eyes with Red, who was still behind Quinn, guarded by him. The boy narrowed his eyes at her for a beat, then bowed in ridiculed-respect.

"I bid you good day, your _highness_…" he sardonically snarled, and the two remaining boys left Red and Quinn alone.

"You didn't have to do that," Red turned to face her best friend. "Really. You _didn't _have to do that. I can fight my own battles, Quinn, you know that!"

"They were going to attack you, Little Red, what was I supposed to do? Let them mar you into a pulp?"

"I could've taken them!"

"Your welcome!"

"I _could have taken them_!" Red repeated. "You _know _I could have taken them! Why…why are you treating me like a damsel in distress? That's not like you. And that's not who I am."

"I just…I want to protect you," he told her. "I've always wanted to protect you. You know that. And I know you can fight your own battles, but that doesn't mean you _have _to. Look, it's getting late. Why don't we go for a run and – ?"

" – It's getting late?" Red interrupted him. It was true; the sky was nearly dark. "Oh, Quinn, I'm sorry – there's somewhere I have to be…" but she couldn't tell him about Peter. "I…I have to…I made a promise that I have to keep, alright?"

"So, bottom line is, your leaving again and you want me to cover for you because if your mother finds out you're going to get your ears cuffed? Alright, fine. Go. Know that I'll be here when you get back." Red turned to leave, but Quinn continued: "You're going to be with him, aren't you? That human boy we met when Sybil returned to the village that day? I recognize his scent. You've been seeing him, haven't you? Him and that old woman you were talking to, and that girl you had me lead to the village. Now, don't give me some lie, Little Red. I want the truth – the whole truth. I think I deserve that."

"You do," Red said. "Of course you do deserve that. I promised Sybil three things on her deathbed. One of them was that I would give our grandmother a fair chance."

"Your _grandmother_? That woman is your _grandmother_?"

"Yes. And that young woman that I had you bring into the village? Her name is Mary. She's on the run from her evil stepmother, who's accusing her of terrible crimes she did not commit. She's staying there until her leg is healed, and then I suppose she'll be on her way…" Red was taken aback by her last statement – she didn't want Mary to leave her. "And…and she's my friend. She's a human, but she's my friend. And the boy we met that day with Sybil in the village – his name is Peter. He's a shepherd boy, and he has a young brother, Joseph, the boy that Sybil saved. They know about us. So does Granny. I told them everything. And…it's so remarkable, Quinn – they aren't afraid. They don't want to kill us."

"Humans are monsters, Red," Quinn warned her, grabbing her by the shoulders. "This…this associating with them, it's dangerous. It's _got _to be dangerous. They're monsters, Red, they all are! Humans tried to turn us into what the world thinks of us – but it's _them _who are the monsters! Humans hunt and kill us for no reason at all – think of what they did to your father! They'd do the same to you!"

"They wouldn't," Red's voice was calm and unwavering. "Not these humans. They aren't monsters. Just as we aren't." She paused, smiled at him, and once again turned to leave. "You won't try and stop me?"

"I know you wouldn't listen. Red?"

"Yes?"

"Do you love him? This human boy, Peter – do you love him?"

And Red didn't know what to say, so she said nothing at all, and left without another word.


	13. Chapter 13

_May You Always Run Free Beneath The Moon's Pale Light_

The princess only got a few yards from her homeland territory when she stopped dead it her tracks, and cursed at herself. What was she _doing_? Leaving her responsibility – and impending punishment – behind all for…_what_? Some boy? Some _human _boy? Red shook herself, and dug her claws into the snow-covered earth out of frustration. Why did she leave in the first place? What was drawing her to do this? Red told herself now that she was being stupid, being careless, acting like a silly, wayward pup. With her ears flattened she continued thinking through her actions, and nearly decided to just turn around now and go home.

But she couldn't go home – that is, she didn't _want _to. Though her only reasoning behind her actions was the tingling feeling that she had in the pit of her stomach, Red started padding through the forest again, onward toward the fields. She _wanted _to see Peter. No, it was more than that. Though she couldn't explain it, she wanted to bewith Peter, to be close to him, to stay by his side…to let him hold her and even kiss her. And, in deep down in her heart, she wanted him to be the one to help her find the happily ever after that she so fiercely deserved...

And what's the matter with that? Red couldn't think of an answer to her own question, but she knew that something indeed _was _the matter with that – or, at least in the eyes of the pack. She couldn't just go fawning over some human like some lovesick puppy – first of all, it wasn't allowed. At least, it was unheard of. Red had never heard of a human and a child of the moon being together, seeing as they were never supposed to interact in the first place. And even if she could find a way to be with Peter, could she really _be with_ him? Red wondered if that was even biologically possible – a part of her hoped it was. And what about Quinn? She couldn't leave him mate-less; she couldn't abandon him, even if she didn't love him, and he didn't love her. It would be irresponsible, to leave him unpaired, and it surely would not be what was best for the pack. Of course, what she was doing _now _was not what was best for the pack.

'_Even if it is for the good of the pack,_' Sybil's voice rang in her memory.'_You should never sell yourself short of love, whatever form it may be in…_'

As the gray wolf kept trotting through the timberland, she noticed various elk, hare and coyote carcasses strung across the underbrush. The princess let out a sigh – at least her mother had moved on to animals now, and was off of humans, at least for the time being. Red knew this was how she grieved, and being reminded of it made Red question how _she _grieved. Were these feelings she had for Peter only created out of the sadness of loosing Sybil? Were these webs of what could be tinkling love only welling up in her heart because of the loss of the person she loved most? Was this _real _at all? Would Red wake up tomorrow and never think of Peter again?

But something inside of the princess told her that such a notion was just not possible. Thoughts of Peter had been dancing in her head nearly since they had first met – she had wondered about him, dreamed about him, wanted to learn more about him and his kind. And now she had her chance to go see him, to live out all of things she had thought of lately…but a voice in her head told her to turn back. It reminded her that she has always known that humans are dangerous, untrustworthy monsters; the real wolves in by charming them like this, and when the time is right, they kill them. That, or they hunt them for sport – Red's seen them with her own eyes, trudging through the woods, armed with hunting rifles, shooting away just because they can. But Peter wasn't like that – and he couldn't just be pretending to be trustworthy. He couldn't be, because he wasn't the only one. Peter was trustworthy, Joseph was trustworthy, Granny was trustworthy, and Mary – Mary, who had been like a sister to her just as she lost Sybil – was more trustworthy than anyone she had ever known…except for Sybil, that is.

Red stopped running yet again when she realized where she was. The child of the moon was now at the point that was exactly between the den and the village. She was equally as far away from home as she was close to her destination. Yet this place in the forest was marked for another reason, too. Red lowered her head and let out a whimper. She was now facing her sister's grave. Sybil had been buried here in the forest, with a smooth piece of birch wood as her headstone. The wood had been etched with her name, and the sign of their people below it, in the center: it was a half-moon, a symbol that every child of the moon knew well. Beneath that, closest to the ground, read the incantation of the children of the moon: may you always run free beneath the moon's pale light.

Red shifted forms and traced the symbol of the half-moon with her shaking hand, her whole body starting to shiver – only partly from the cold. She outlined her sister's name, and the incantation too, and fell to her knees beside the little grave. The princess let out another whimper, which turned into a cry, which in turn let to her sobbing, again, over her sister's death. There is no one in the world that Red loved more than her sister, and to be unable to protect her made Red feel so indescribably, agonizingly abysmal. The feeling ate away at her, especially at night when she dreamed – lately, Red had been rotating through three topics in her dreams: Quinn, Peter, and Sybil.

The dreams about Quinn and Peter sometimes overlapped each other. They were usually involved Red trying to get to Peter, by Quinn holding her back, or Quinn would be howling for her, and at the same time Peter would be calling out to her. There was the occasional dream that started when Red had first met Peter: she was caged, for some reason, and Peter unlatched the cage door to set her free. Once Red shifted forms, he placed a silver necklace around her neck – and the silver, being her peoples' weakness, made her fall to the ground, powerless. The next thing she knows, the princess is with Quinn by the river, and he always says the same thing: 'did you really think he could accept you for what you are?'. The dreams she had about Sybil usually involved her sister grasping Red's hand, and then quickly letting go of it, running ahead of her sister, in human form, through the forest.

"Come on, Red!" Sybil would yell, giggling, as she ran ahead of her. Although Red was much faster than her sister, she couldn't catch her.

"Wait!" The older princess would call after the older. "Sybil, wait, where are you going?"

"You're missing it, Red!" Sybil called back, still out of her sister's grasp. "You aren't looking!"

And Red would always wake up then, wondering why she could never catch her sister and what she was missing or not seeing.

And now, by her sister's grave, Red realized what that missing piece indeed was, the piece that Sybil had encompassed her entire life: balance.

"Red!" Peter yelled to her as she hopped the wood-crafted fence, into the fields. "You came!"

"Yes," she answered in a whisper, holding onto him. "I did."


	14. Chapter 14

_May You Always Run Free Beneath The Moon's Pale Light_

A bone-shattering, ominous howl was released into the full-moon lit night. A brawny, black wolf stepped forward from the woods, his ice-like, unfeeling eyes locked on the village in front of him and his low-life group of rogue wolves. His massive, powerful claw made a rake-like mark in the snow beneath him, and he lowered his muzzle; watching, waiting. The smell of humans had gone sadly stale this late at night. They were all tucked away, asleep, unfortunately for the cad wolf leader. Impatiently, the wolf licked his tongue over his row of rather intimidating, sharp fangs. Though he and the rest of the motely semi-pack that traveled with him caused fear wherever they went, the majority of them were emaciated and, quite literally, starving. They were nomads: wolves that never settled down in one place for that long before moving on to new territory. They only ever fought over dens with other packs for one of possible reasons: to assert themselves as a force to be reckoned with – and forever feared – or if the den in question was close enough by to a source of unsuspecting humans without being so close that it would be obvious to the humans that they were there. Dens like these were prime spots of real estate for a nomadic rogue pack such as his: they could tear through the village of humans, rest up while waiting for the phases of the moon to play out again, and be on their way by the next Wolf's Time.

_Sir_, came a voice behind him – it was a female voice, surprisingly high for that of a beta wolf, but instilled fear nonetheless. The leader turned around to face his second-in-command, the smaller, dark ginger colored wolf standing by. _Has their been any movement? _She asked in a whimper. _We're starving, sir, and – _

_There will be movement when I tell you there's been movement, you insolent little she-wolf,_ the leader snarled, raising himself to his claws once again.

_Yes, sir._

_ Who told you to question my leadership, Russet? _The leader bared his fangs. _Surely you weren't daft enough to do so on your own._

_ N-no, sir… _the beta's tail was between her legs.

_Then who told you to do such a thing? _He demanded.

_Please, sir, there's really no need to – _

_ If you fail to tell me, then the punishment deserved by the guilty wolf shall be brought down on you, Russet, _He glared at the beta. _Those who defend the weak deserve to be treated like the weak._

_ It…it was Tomek_, _sir_, Russet finally whimpered the name. _But please, sir – I beg of you, don't – _

_ – Do not tell me what I can and cannot do! _The leader growled, stopping the beta short. _Lest you would like to join Tomek tonight!_

_ No, sir. I'm sorry, sir. _Russet scampered away before the black wolf could lay a claw on her – there was a good chance he would if she didn't turn and leave him be, at this point.

_Tomek! _The icy-eyed leader leapt from his perch back into the forest and scanned his pack for the wolf in question. _Reveal yourself! _After some hesitation, a patch-furred, ragged wolf stepped forward. He bowed his brown, shabby head to the leader, who quickly swiped a claw across the back of it, drawing blood. The force of the blow knocked Tomek off his paws, and skidded into the snow, chin-first.

_Please, sir_… Russet tried to intervene, but was met with a terrifying glare. The leader pounced on the brown wolf again, clawing his face this time as he tried to recoil.

_ Follow me, weakling_, the dark-hearted leader commanded, _unless you'd rather be executed in from of your pack-mates_.

Tomek followed the largest wolf deep into the forest. Until dawn when the moon fully disappeared from the sky for the night, the rest of the rogue pack's ears were met with screeches of terror and agony.

A tiny, silver-furred wolf flattened his ears during the night, and ran into the soft embrace of his mother's warm, calming fur.

_Mama_, he mewed softly. _Is Tomek going to be alright?_

_ Yes, my son, _Russet told her little son, licking his ear. _Maybe not in this world. But soon he shall run free under the moon's pale light._

_ Free enough so that Scourge cannot catch him? _The pup asked.

_Free enough so that no one will ever catch him_, Russet nearly hums. _He will soon be free under the moon's pale light, watching over us and all over wolves as a star in the moon's night sky…_

"Red, look," said Peter, still holding Red in his arms in the snow-covered fields. He nodded his head towards the sky.

"Look at what?" The princess asked.

"At the stars," Peter explained. "This is what I wanted to show you. Look how clear they are up here! Sometimes, I like to sneak up here at night and just…watch them," he confessed. "Does that sound crazy?"

"Not at all," Red answered. "Actually…you don't know how much that means to me, that you told me that…"

"What do you mean?"

"My people believe that when good, strong-hearted wolves die," Red told him. "Their spirit lives on forever, running free under the moon's pale light. The moon is what keeps my people fully alive – we believe that good wolves get to live on forever in the moon's perfect glow after their death…"

Red trailed off for a moment, staring up at the stars as they reflected in her eyes.

"My sister's up there, Peter," she murmured. "And my father. They're up there, looking down on me, giving me guidance and light…"

"Is that why you howl at the moon?" The shepherd boy asked. "As some form of prayer?"

"I guess you could call it that," the child of the moon answered. "If we have victory in battle, or make good hunt, or have a part in anything that's considered brave or noble, we howl to our ancestors, thanking them for the guiding light they've bestowed on us…"

The princess let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding in, seeing it float into the sky as a white for of vapor in the cold. Red huddled closer to Peter – partly for the warmth, partly because she simply wanted to be closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her accordingly.

"You know," Red started again. "Everything about what I'm doing is wrong, according to the rules of the pack. Everything. Really. _Everything_," she told him, some sort of trepidation starting to take hold of her. "My mother is going to cuff my ears for this," she said to Peter, but mostly for herself. "Or worse," she let out a nervous laugh. "She could _banish _me for this!"

"It'll be alright," Peter told her, holding her hand. "Whatever happens, we'll face it together."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"Red, please," the boy said. "Don't be. Just…" he looked up at the stars again. "Run free."

He kissed her, and Red knew that somewhere up in the stars, Sybil was smiling.


End file.
